The Sit Room Incident
by dwparsnip
Summary: Have you ever wondered about Sue Graham? Well, I have. Here's my take on her try at Rick and the aftermath...in a very AU sort of way. Don't worry everyone, I'm a big Rick & Lisa fan.
1. Chapter 1

()This fiction is based upon information taken from Jack McKinney's books (although I didn't really like the way he treated the Rick/Lisa relationship) and other Robotech sources (like and of course my own imagination. I've always wondered about Sue Graham though.

All references to Robotech and its' characters © Harmony Gold, Inc.

----------------------------------

Lt. Sue Graham was a beautiful, young woman with long black hair and stunning hazel eyes. She was a photojournalist and it was all she had ever wanted to be. She loved cameras and shooting video, and she began shooting video as soon as she was old enough to lift the camera. Someone had to record the historic times that they were living through, and she was thrilled she that was one of the people doing it. In fact she prided herself on being one of the best at it.

Then she got what she considered the plummest of plum assignments: the personal photographer of Admiral Rick Hunter. She went with him almost everywhere, recording almost everything he did and said. She got to see him at his best and at his worst, and as far as she was concerned his worst was still greater than most other people's best.

She was more than attractive enough to garner plenty of interest from members of the male persuasion. It flattered her and it was one of the primary reasons that she was supremely confident in herself and everything that she did. Her problem however, was that the interest that came her way from admirers was always shallow and without substance. She never placed the blame for failed or empty relationships on herself, but on the men that she was involved with. She had decided that she needed a mature and seasoned man to be in her life, and she found the perfect example in Rick Hunter.

She had become more and more enthralled with the admiral over the years and especially the last few months, and why not? What wasn't there about Rick Hunter to admire, to respect, to honor, to…love?

"_Fighter pilot, hero of the Robotech War, a born leader and a very handsome man", _she thoughtThe only problem with Admiral Hunter was his marital status, but she reckoned it was merely an obstacle, not a roadblock _"I'm sorry Lisa. I admire you and I respect what you've done, but I want your husband."_

She was watching him even now, at this late hour in the Situation Room. It had become his habit lately, to come here late when it was all but abandoned, to analyze, to think, to strategize and to mull over the extremely difficult task ahead of them. At first when he started these late night contemplation sessions, she stayed only for a few minutes, and let him go about his business. But after a couple of weeks she started staying longer and longer. She started to get to know him more on a personal level lately too. They would talk about this and that, his son, his job, his life. _"Come to think of it, we almost always talk about him."_ That suited her just fine.

She looked at him intently. He had not been able to be with Lisa much for a while now with the both of them being so busy, and she had tried, surreptitiously, to fill the void. She knew he considered her a friend, but she had caught him once or twice looking at her with a look that indicated, to her at least, more than professional relationship. She took in a long steady breath and decided that tonight was the night.

----------------------------------

It had been yet another long day in a series of long days. What had become the norm, rather than the exception.

Admiral Rick Hunter was bent over one of the many consoles in the Situation Room, analyzing for the umpteenth time the patterns and reactions of the enemy in anticipation of the enormous battle that was looming ahead of them.

The Regent's Invid were a merciless and deadly enemy. They had proven that countless times to the Zentraedi, the REF and the Sentinels. But now, they had to face the Invid of the Regis, in total control of Earth, with seemingly impenetrable defenses.

"_Troopers, Soldiers, Shocktroopers, Enforcers and God knows what else the Regis will have cooked up before we get there",_ thought Rick glumly. _"Protoculture farms, hives and, of course the biggest target of them all, Reflex Point. Add to all of this that the _Mars Division _attack was a complete disaster, and we've got a nice recipe for total destruction."_

Rick sighed loudly, rubbed the back of his neck and stood up straight, quicker than he meant to and immediately felt regret in doing so, along with the pain of the sudden movement. "_Getting old Rick. You're getting old,"_ he thought, now rubbing his lower back with his hand.

He glanced over his shoulder to take in Sue Graham, not for the first time, and noted with some relief that she had not recorded his discomfort. It was another recently formed habit, to glance around to see Graham. To see if she was watching him, recording him. When the PR people, with the historians in tow, first approached him with the idea of saddling him with a personal photographer, he almost went nuts. That was all he needed, someone recording his every move and getting in the way. He wouldn't be able to be himself, he'd have to be careful, and he would have to change. But when he met Graham, his fears were immediately alleviated. She made it clear that he was to be himself, and that she was there at his convenience. She would get lost the second he needed or wanted her to. Over time, he had come to know her well and in fact he considered them to be good friends.

Lately however, he began to sense a shift in their relationship, a sense that she wanted more. He looked at her again. She was a young, beautiful lieutenant with curves that could rival those of a veritech. _"In another place and another time. In another lifetime",_ he thought guiltily. He knew nothing could, or would happen between them and assumed that she knew the same.

He loved Lisa with all of his being. They were friends, husband and wife, partners and parents. He couldn't imagine his life without her especially after all they had been through. The years aboard the SDF-1 and in New Macross, getting ready for the Expeditionary Mission, the Sentinels and Edwards. All the times she was there for him in the beginning when he barely noticed here. It had taken destruction and heartbreaking loss to make him realize how much she meant to him.

She was his strength, his reason for being and his reason for going on. He smiled as he thought of her. _"I know we've had some hard times lately Lisa, but I still love you, maybe even more than ever."_ Indeed, things had not been the best in the recent months. Lisa was busy getting the ship ready. She had any number of things to deal with at any given time, not the least of which was their son, Roy. He had the same problem. Between Roy, organizing the attack plan and everything that went with that, he had no spare time. In fact, as strange as it sounded, he had become lonely.

"Is this what they mean by 'loneliness of command'?" Rick thought sourly. "Is Lisa going through he same thing?" 

Thinking of Lisa made him yearn to see her, and to be with her. _"Enough of this foolishness",_ he thought with utter determination, _"I need to be with my wife."_ He turned off the display on the console, turned to leave and ran straight into a very passionate kiss.

For a very brief moment, he thought Lisa had had the same feelings that he was having and had come to find him. But even as the thought came to him, he realized something was very wrong. The lips he felt on his own were different than those of his wife. _"Got to stop this!",_ he screamed at himself. For a couple of seconds however, the loneliness that had earlier pervaded his thoughts prevented him from stopping what was happening.

Finally, he grabbed Sue Graham by the shoulders and pushed her away.

"Sue, what are you doing? Are you insane?" he asked in a shocked voice.

"No Rick, I've never been more sane or sure of anything in my life", she said as she reached up and touched his cheek.

He backed off quickly as she said, "I've been having feelings for you Rick, powerful feelings that I can't stop or hide anymore."

"Sue", said Rick softly, as if to a child, "I…I'm sorry if I've misled you somehow, but nothing can happen between us. I'm married to Lisa."

"Rick, when was the last time you were with Lisa, I mean really with her? If she's not on the bridge or in some meeting, you're in here or on the hangar deck or in the armory. You're everywhere, except with her, and she's everywhere, except with you. I can see that you've been feeling alone lately. I can't blame you, I would be too in your position. I know you Rick. I've studied you for a long time now. You need to be with someone. Someone like me."

She quickly put her hands on his shoulders and kissed him again.

This time he wasted no time and again pushed her away from him.

"Stand down Lieutenant."

She came to an abrupt halt at the harshness of his tone. She could now see the anger in his eyes, and realized that she had made a terrible mistake.

"Rick…" she began.

"Now hear this Lieutenant," Rick said, barely controlling his rage. "You will never, and I mean never, do anything of this sort ever again. I am your commanding officer, and I am married to a woman who I love very deeply. If I have misled you in any way I am truly sorry but our relationship is a professional one, and that is all it ever can and ever will be. Do you understand?"

She stood at attention and said, "Yes sir!"

He turned away from her, ashamed of himself for letting this happen.

"I think Lieutenant, that it would best for everyone concerned that you remove yourself from this assignment", he said quietly.

"Yes, Admiral."

"Dismissed."

"I'm sorry Rick." Then Lt. Sue Graham turned on her heel and walked out of the Sit. Room with tears streaming down her face.

Rick stood there for several minutes, trying to compose himself. _"What have I done?"_ he thought.

He shook his head hard as if to clear the cobwebs, and with that he left the Sit. Room in search of Lisa.

----------------------------------

The object of Rick's thoughts, Admiral Lisa Hunter had just left the bridge and was on her way to their quarters. It had been another day of reports, decisions and disappointment. The schedule for deployment had to be revised again, backwards. This time it was the starboard defensive armaments. Last week it was the port maneuvering thrusters. The week before it was the failure of the anti-gravity generators. The ship just didn't seem to want to get ready.

"_Maybe it knows something we don't"_, she thought with a sense of melancholy. She had had enough for one night and she had a burning need to see and be with her husband.

Lisa too was having the same feelings that Rick was having. It seemed as though days would go by and he and Lisa would spend very little time together. It almost seemed as though they were drifting apart, and it was a thought that frightened her more than anything else could have. Added to that was her growing unease with Sue Graham. Lisa had been getting a bad feeling from her recently, a sense that Graham was becoming more and more obsessed with Rick. Lisa could see it in the way she looked at him and in the way she spoke to him. Rick, the nut, didn't seem to see it. She even asked Max if he noticed anything. Max, their ever loyal friend, told Lisa that he had not noticed or sensed anything threatening from Sue Graham, but he couldn't be certain. She then thought that just maybe it was her own insecurities getting the better of her, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought she was right about Sue Graham becoming obsessed with Rick.

"_Oh Rick. I love you too much to let anything happen to us now."_

She arrived at the door to their quarters and went inside. Roy was on a campout on Tirol with the other children and several of the Nursery/Daycare personnel. It was more of a summer camp than a campout, while the parents were trying to get the ship ready. He called up regularly to tell her of the activities they were doing, and bless him, he really seemed to be having fun. That had helped to put her a little bit at ease with the situation, but her heart still ached at his absence.

"Rick", she called. No answer. She was just about to open the door to go look for him when it opened and in he walked.

"Lisa", said Rick, with a desire in his voice that she hadn't heard in what seemed to be a long time. He looked at her intensely, and as their eyes met they instantly fell in love all over again. That single look told the both of them all that they needed to know. They loved each other more than anything and nothing was going to change that.

He took her in his arms and held her as though he would never let go, and she held him just as tightly.

"I love you", she whispered into his ear.

He leaned back to look into her beautiful green eyes and said, "I love you too. Don't ever forget"

"Never", she said and kissed him tenderly.

----------------------------------

Hours later, after a night of passion that had left them both physically exhausted and emotionally recharged, Rick was lying on his side with his right arm propping up his head, watching his wife sleep peacefully. It had been a long time since he had done this, watch Lisa sleep.

Despite the years, she hadn't changed much from the military brat he'd first met those many years ago after the initial Zentraedi attack on the SDF-1. In those first months aboard the ship, he never considered her anything more than a military snob, not really attractive, an old sourpuss. That memory made him smile. It was only later he realized how beautiful, intelligent and kind she was. _"I was blind. Young, bind and oh so stupid",_ he thought with a pang of honest regret. Her skin color and tone was the same, her brown hair still flowed perfectly around her face and she was probably even fitter now than she used to be. And her eyes, those gorgeous emerald eyes that looked into his with a force that seemed to be limitless, they shone brighter now than when he first noticed them years ago.

But what amazed Rick most about Lisa, was not what was on the outside, but what was on the inside. _"It's a cliché to be sure, but it's so true. She's the most incredible woman, the fact that she's beautiful is just a bonus",_ he thought. She was still sensitive and caring, and still the confident commander while at the same time an insecure woman. _"Lord knows with all we've been through that we have a right to be jaded and desensitized. But not you",_ he thought as he very gently stroked her cheek.

The incident with Sue Graham last night in the Situation Room flashed in his head like a lightning bolt, and he knew he had to tell Lisa what had happened. He owed her that much. He had hurt her so much in the beginning of their relationship that he had long ago resolved that he would never again hurt her by keeping something from her.

He couldn't resist any longer and reached over to kiss her on her gently on her forehead. Then another kiss on her left cheek. Then another kiss on the tip of her nose. She finally smiled and he kissed her very gently on her lips. He moved back to look at her and found her looking at him with those radiant emerald eyes, and his heart actually skipped a beat.

"Good morning, beautiful. Sleep well?" he asked with a smile.

"Good morning, handsome. Yes, but not long enough. You really know how to drain my energy don't you?" she said as she brought her hand up to touch his cheek.

He kissed her hand as she did that and said, "Yep, still got it. In the meantime, you did a pretty good job of tiring me out too Lisa."

She flashed him sheepish grin and felt her cheeks go a bit red. "Amazing", he said, "after all this time I can still make you blush."

Lisa poked him the stomach and they laughed, really laughed together. Rick turned and lid on his back, reaching his right arm out allowing Lisa to cuddle into him, and he wrapped his arm around her bringing her as close to him as he could. Her right hand caressed his chest as his hand stroked her shoulder. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

Rick finally built up the nerve and was just about to start telling Lisa about Sue Graham when she asked, "Rick, do you trust me?"

The question caught him completely and totally off guard. He tightened his embrace and said, "Of course I trust you, Lisa, more than I have ever trusted anyone. Why would you ask such a question?"

She looked up at him, with a longing that seemed to engulf him and said, "And do you still love me the way that you used to?"

"Lisa …what's going on?" but as he looked into her eyes he could see that she needed to hear it.

"Lisa, I love you more than I could ever possibly tell you. More than I can put into words, more than I have ever loved anyone. What's wrong Lisa?"

She put her head back down on his chest and snuggled closer.

"We haven't been able to spend much time together lately Rick, and it's starting to worry me. Promise me we'll stop working so much on other things and start working more on us."

"I promise Lisa. I was thinking the same thing last night, that's why I came looking for you. I missed you. I have been feeling a little bit lonely lately, not being able to be with you. I needed to see you and be with you."

Again, he was just about to start telling her about Graham when she said, "I'm worried about Sue, Rick." He opened his eyes wide, startled.

"What do you mean Lisa?"

"I think she thinks of you as more than her superior officer, more than a subject to be recorded. I think she even thinks of you as more than a friend. I think she wants more, a lot more."

"_Have I been blind?"_ he thought, alarmed. _"I knew that maybe she had a crush on me, but I had no idea of how far it had gone. But Lisa could see it."_

"Lisa…"

"And don't patronize me Rick." She looked up at him again. "I really believe she's become infatuated with you, and it seems as though she has been with you more than I have over the last few weeks. I'm worried about you, about us. You just said yourself that you've been feeling lonely. I…I'm worried that she may try something. I don't trust her Rick."

Not for the first time, Rick marveled at his wife as he looked into her eyes. Her intelligence and her insight. She had hit the nail on the head.

He kissed her forehead again and she rested her head on his chest.

"It's my turn to ask. Do you trust me Lisa?"

"Wholeheartedly", came her instant reply, and before he could ask, "and I love you more than I ever thought was possible."

He smiled. As usual, she was a step ahead of him.

"Lisa, last night when I was getting ready to leave the Sit. Room to come and find you, Sue kissed me." He felt Lisa tense up, as though someone had slapped her.

He told her the entire incident. The kiss, what she had done and what she had said, the second kiss and what he had said and what he had done. He left nothing out. He told her, he assured her, that Graham's advance meant nothing to him.

Then he waited, anxiously.

He had expected her to jump up, lash out, be angry and start yelling. Instead, she just stayed there, holding him tightly. A few seconds passed by and Rick felt the wetness of her tears on his chest.

He tightened his embrace, bringing his left arm around to hold her as well. He waited for her to say something, but she didn't.

She couldn't. She was speechless. She had no idea what to say, or what to do. So she held on to him and vowed silently never to let him go. She was terrified of how Rick would react if Sue had come onto him. Lisa knew how alone he was feeling recently, she was going through it herself, and Graham was a very young, smart and attractive woman. She had all the weapons.

"You were right Lisa. She did try to take advantage of our separation, but it didn't work, I didn't let it and I won't let it. I love you and nothing in this universe is going to change how I feel about you. You're my wife and my soul mate, Lisa. It was you and your strength, your faith in me that kept me strong, keeps me strong", he said, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.

He put his left hand under her chin and lifted her head up so he could see her beautiful face.

"You're not getting rid of me ever, no matter what or who tries." He softly wiped the tears from her cheek. "Just remember, that means I'm not letting anyone or anything take you away from me either."

As she looked into his eyes, Lisa understood, and still not trusting herself to speak, kissed him on lovingly on his lips, and then cuddled again into his chest.

"I love you Lisa", he whispered.

"I love you Rick", she finally whispered back.

The clock alarm sounded a few minutes later, indicating it was time to get up and get ready to go to their respective posts.

Neither of them moved. And an hour later when the intercom sounded, Rick told them they were taking the day off, and they were not to be disturbed.

Admirals' orders.

And they weren't.

----------------------------------

Rick had spent the day after what he would later call the 'Sit. Room Incident' right where he belonged: with Lisa. They just held each other the entire day, beginning to make up for lost time. They never even stepped a foot outside their quarters. It had been a wonderful, well-needed day for them both.

The next day he got together with Maximillian Sterling in his quarters to talk about it all. He had left the Sit. Room early in the hopes of meeting with Lisa, but she had an inspection tour of one of the other cruisers and would be gone for another hour at least. It just so happened that Miriya had accompanied Lisa, which left Max free to talk to Rick. Max hadn't changed much either. He was still an ace pilot, still had his blue hair and those aviator glasses, and he was still fiercely loyal to and protective of Rick and Lisa.

"I gotta say, I never saw that coming Boss", said Max. "Wow".

Rick could see the honest surprise in his friend's eyes. "I confess Max, I kind of suspected that she may have had some sort of crush on me or something, but I never in my wildest dreams..."

"Nightmares", Max corrected.

"... nightmares suspected that she would actually act on any feelings that she may have had."

They were nursing a small glass of Scotch each. Rick thought he could definitely use a drink, and when he started telling Max about that night, Max poured one up for himself too.

"You were just there…."

Rick nodded.

"And you were leaving to find Lisa…"

Rick nodded.

"And she just up and kissed…."

Rick nodded.

"Holy…."

Rick nodded.

"Man Rick, I always knew you had a weird way with women but really."

"Max!"

Max held his hands up in mock surrender and said, "I'm just kidding Rick."

"Max, what am I going to do", Rick said with concern.

"What do you mean Rick? It seems to me you handled it as well as you could have. You apologized for any misunderstanding that there may have been, you told her you loved your wife, you told her not to do it again, you told her nothing could or would happen, and you got her reassigned without seeming like she was being reprimanded or punished." Max took a sip of his Scotch and continued. "But perhaps most importantly, you told Lisa. You told her everything…you did tell her everything right?"

"Of course, Max!"

"… Okay, you told her everything and you told her what she needed to know, that you love her. Not that I think she had doubted it or anything. Look Rick, I know you both have been suffering from a separation anxiety…"

Rick looked at Max, raising his eyebrows.

"I see you both regularly Rick, and to someone who knows the two of you, it was pretty obvious." Max leaned back in his chair and smiled, "But I gotta say, from what I saw of Lisa this morning and you this afternoon, you are both going around like two teenage lovebirds, all happy and giddy."

"Now Max…"

"And you guys deserve it Rick", Max said with a sincerity that put Rick at ease. "Don't think that you don't or don't be embarrassed about it. I think it is important for you both. Besides the importance for your own relationship, with all that has happened lately, it's a big boost for everyone's morale too. You guys don't realize how important you are to everyone. Everyone looks to you both as sources of inspiration, guidance and strength. You guys got married just before we left for crying out loud. You're like mascots!" he said as he finished his drink.

Rick looked at Max, and Max looked at Rick, and both of them burst out laughing as they realized what Max had just said.

"You're going to have some explaining to do to Lisa when I tell her that you called her a mascot", Rick said jovially.

Max's cheeks turned a shade of pink as he pictured himself trying to explain to Lisa what he had meant.

"I'd rather face an army of Battle Pods", said Max, suddenly wanting another drink.

"I would too old buddy", Rick said, reading Max's mind and pouring him another drink.

Max lifted his glass and said, "A toast…to Miriya Sterling and Lisa Hunter, the two most gorgeous women in the universe."

"And to us Max", Rick said lifting his own glass, "the two luckiest guys in the universe for having them in our lives.'

They saluted each other with their glasses and drank their drinks, both of them suddenly wanting to be in the company of their respective wives.

----------------------------------

Shuttle Pilot-"Shuttle 1 to approach control. We have left cruiser 113 and are on approach, ETA 12 minutes. Over."

Approach Control-"Approach control to shuttle 1, we roger that and confirm, ETA 12 minutes, over."

Lisa stopped listening to the goings on in the cockpit and turned to see the passenger next to her looking at her very seriously.

"Is there something wrong Miriya", Lisa asked her friend.

"No Lisa", Miriya responded, "as a matter of fact you look like, how does the saying go, you're on the ninth cloud."

"Cloud nine, not 'the ninth cloud'", Lisa said absently. "That's exactly how I feel."

"I am glad to see you so happy Lisa", Miriya said with warmth she usually used only for Max, "it has been such a long time since I have seen you so happy."

What Miriya was saying, and how she saying it was not lost on Lisa. She looked appreciatively at Miriya and gave her hand a grateful squeeze and said, "Thank you Miriya. I really mean that. And you're right; it has been a long time since I've been this happy."

Lisa looked ahead and caught a glimpse of the co-pilot, a young lady with long black hair and for a split second she thought she saw Sue Graham, even though she knew it really wasn't her. The thought of Graham brought to Lisa an anger that she hadn't felt since the day her father had kept her from returning to the SDF-1, a long time ago. Her beautiful smile left her face and her eyes narrowed in anger without her even realizing it.

Miriya noticed this not so subtle change in Lisa and became concerned. She also looked up to the shuttle's cockpit to see what had angered her friend so, but all she saw was the pilot and copilot, two humans, a male and a female. She didn't know either of them, and had assumed from something that Lisa had said earlier that she didn't know them either.

"Lisa," Miriya asked with alarm, "what's wrong? What's the matter?"

Miriya unbuckled her safety belt and was about to go to forward to see if either one of the pilots had done something to cause her friend to be angry, but she felt Lisa's hand grab her arm, and Lisa asked her to sit back down, which she did.

"It's nothing Miriya", Lisa said as Miriya refastened her seat belt. "The copilot just reminded me of someone for a second."

"From the look that came to your face Lisa, I am glad not to be that person."

Lisa smiled again. Miriya's frankness could almost always be counted on to cheer her up.

"May I ask what the trouble is Lisa?"

Lisa looked at Miriya, one of the closest friends she had left in her life, and told her everything that transpired over the last 2 days. Sue Graham, Rick, their night and day together, everything.

The look on Miriya's face varied from sentence to sentence. When Lisa told her of Sue Graham and her actions Miriya looked as though she wanted to kill someone, namely Graham. When Lisa told her of how Rick told her everything and of the night that she and Rick had spent together, Miriya had tears in her eyes. And when Lisa told her of how they spent the next day together, rarely out of bed, Miriya had a knowing, delightful look on her face.

"I believe that you would be well within your rights to challenge her to a duel to the death", Miriya told Lisa." I would gladly take your place and do it for you."

Lisa coughed to try to hide her smile. "No Miriya, that isn't the way to go, but thank you", she said amused at the thought, but genuinely touched by the sentiment.

"As you wish Lisa", Miriya said. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing", said Lisa, and when she saw the dismayed look on Miriya's face she continued, "I'm not going to do anything because Rick took care of it. He told her what his situation was, that he loves me, and he got her transferred away from him. Rick and I both agreed that it was taken care, and that we should not dwell on the events of the past, but work on the present and the future."

Miriya still looked unhappy. "But I'll tell you one thing", said Lisa, "if she ever comes near me or Rick again, she will regret it for the rest of her days."

To that, Miriya smiled a big beautiful smile and said, "Now that is what I wanted to hear."

The two women looked at each other and had a heartfelt laugh.

Shuttle Pilot-"Shuttle 1 to approach control, ready for final approach. Over.

Approach Control-"Roger shuttle 1. Reduce speed and adjust heading accordingly. You have the priority landing pattern. Over."

Shuttle Pilot-"Understood approach control. ETA now 2 minutes. Over."

A few minutes later, as Miriya and Lisa walked down the steps from the shuttle they heard "Welcome back Admiral Hunter, Captain Sterling."

"Thank you, Ensign."

The two women walked along the hangar deck, oblivious to the admiring glances they received from male onlookers, and came to the door leading to the inside corridors of the ship.

Miriya spotted one of Max's wingmen, Lt. Carter, and asked if she knew where Max was.

"I believe he's with Admiral Hunter, ma'am."

Miriya thanked the lieutenant and then looked at Lisa and said "Oh, oh."

Lisa laughed and said, "We better go make sure they aren't in any trouble."

As luck would have it, (or was it female intuition?), the men were in the first place the ladies looked: Rick's and Lisa's cabin.

"Hello beautiful ladies!", said Max as he got out of his chair and hugged and kissed Miriya.

Rick took Lisa's hand and pulled her to him, and she sat on his lap. He too, hugged and kissed his wife.

"And what have you two miscreants been doing?" Lisa asked in a fake accusatory tone.

"Max has been teaching me the finer points of morale aboard ship. Congratulations honey," said Rick. "Max says we're mascots!"

Max was kissing Miriya when Rick said this, and he started laughing so hard that he almost gave Miriya a head butt.

"We're what?" asked Lisa, looking at Max, bewildered.

Face beet red Max coughed and then stammered, "That is…well you see…I was trying to tell Rick…ahem…well, Lisa what I meant was…wow, is hot in here?"

Rick, reveling in his best friend's discomfort decided it was enough. "What he meant my darling wife, is that apparently the entire force likes to see us happy, and when we're happy, they are happy."

"Yes", Max said eagerly and pointing at Rick, "That's exactly what I meant. Thanks Boss", and Rick inclined his head in a 'you're welcome'.

Lisa got up and went over to Max and he thought for sure he was in for some type of grief, but as she neared him Max could see that Lisa was trying to hide a smile. When she saw that he noticed she let the smile surface, and Max, somewhat relieved, broke out into his famous boyish grin. Lisa took Max by his shoulders and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Anyone want anything from the kitchen?" she asked as she headed there.

Everyone wanted something to drink, and as Rick got up to help her Max said, " I got it Boss. Why don't you and Miriya go get comfortable in the living room?" Rick held out his arm for Miriya. She took it with a smile and they made their way to the living room.

Lisa waited for Max. Max had become more than just Rick's best friend over the years, he had pretty much become hers too. Sure there was Jean Grant and Miriya, but Max was always the one she could most easily talk to about Rick. She had never been able to figure out why. It could have been that she had known him so well through Rick talking about him so much, or the fact that he was Rick's best friend or the fact that he knew their history more than anyone. _"Perhaps it's all of those things"_, she thought as he came into the kitchen.

Max had indeed come to know Lisa well and he sensed that she needed to talk to him, which is why he stopped Rick from helping her.

"Are you okay Lisa?" he asked in a hushed voice, almost whispering in fact.

She smiled at the genuine concern in his voice.

She looked at him and said, "Max, Sue Graham transferred to Fleet Intelligence."

Max understood immediately. Graham had transferred away from Rick, but to one of the divisions onboard the ship. Out of immediate sight, but still close.

"Lisa you have nothing to worry about. Rick loves you…"

"I know Max, really I do. It's not him I'm worried about. I don't trust her", she said visibly troubled, making his heart ache. "She doesn't seem like the type to just give up after the first try."

Silently, Max agreed with Lisa.

"Are the rosters finalized for the Jupiter Division yet?" she asked.

"No they're not Lisa', he said as he nodded his understanding to her. "I'll take care of it before the rosters are set. Should only be another couple days."

The relief that flashed across her face made Max want to hug his friend, so he did.

"Thank you Max", she whispered.

Max gave her an affectionate squeeze and then let her go so she could see the seriousness in his face. "Anything Lisa", he said. "I would do anything for you and Rick."

She nodded as Rick called out "Sterling, what are doing in there with my wife!"

Max rolled his eyes and started towards the living room. "Nothing Boss, I promise."

"I hope not", said Miriya, unable to totally hide her smile. Max kissed her cheek and she laughed.

They all sat down for the next little while, drank their drinks and talked about everything under the sun, everything that is except Sue Graham.

An hour later the Sterlings excused themselves and left the Hunters alone in their quarters.

When they were alone Rick gently pulled Lisa closer to him on the couch.

"What were you two talking about in there?" he asked her.

"Nothing Rick. He just wanted to make sure that I was okay."

He was about to push the subject when Lisa kissed him lovingly on the lips, a kiss that neither of them wanted to end.

Finally they stopped, more out of need for air and a rest than a want, and they cuddled together on the couch.

"Roy called earlier", said Rick, knowing that she had successfully been able to change the subject, and not really caring. "He said he's having a great time and he doesn't miss us."

Lisa laughed, and Rick looked at her with adoration. "I missed you. I missed you so much that I couldn't concentrate", he said.

She kissed him and said, "I missed you too, Rick, badly." She kissed him again.

"It's past dinner time Lisa, are you hungry?"

"Only for you", was her reply.

"I was hoping you were going to say something like that", he said with a grin.

And they picked up, right where they left off the previous day, that wonderful, glorious day.


	2. Chapter 2

Just a note:

I confess that when I posted "The Sit. Room Incident", I thought I was finished. I thought I had myself backed into a corner with the story.

But I guess that's the beauty of fiction, science-fiction and fantasy, you're never really backed into a corner, are you?

I was pleased and humbled with the response that I got from what is now the first part of my first story. Thanks Adena for your encouragement, I'll try to remember your advice. And thanks to Sphersian, Aikiweezie and gppr for your encouragement and kind words.

Now I guess I should keep going…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Fleet Intelligence was housed in an immense cabin aboard ship, as luck would have it not far form the Situation Room. It was actually a modified cargo bay. The normal mechanical equipment one might find in a cargo bay was removed and replaced with the normal intelligence gathering and viewing equipment. After the engineers were finished, gone were the hydraulic lifts, anti-grav transport pads, shelves and storage bulkheads. In their places were rows of tables, computers, monitors and stellar maps.

And luck had nothing to do with its location relative to the Sit. Room either. It had to be near it. After a threat is given its initial designation by the Sit. Room, the first thing they do is to check with Fleet Intelligence to see if they know anything about it; what or who it is, or could be or where it's from and so on. So, by necessity and design, they were in close proximity to each other.

Of course, she knew that when she transferred three days ago…

----------------------------------

Admiral Lisa Hunter was in her office just off the bridge and looked at the latest progress reports with a frown upon her face. Delayed again was the test of the new Reflex Furnace. And that was just the preliminary test. After that there was supposed to be a second, more rigorous test and finally a full-power test. According to Lang, that pivotal third test was now months away. It wasn't the only problem plaguing the ship, or the fleet for that matter, but it was a big one.

'_Poor Rick'_, she thought, and smiled as she inwardly spoke his name. _'I guess I can tell him to ease up on the Alpha crews. They don't have to rush now.'_

She reached for the intercom system embedded in the surface of her desk, punched up her direct line to the Sit. Room and turned to face the monitor.

Rick's face came into view and her heart fluttered. It had always been that way of course, since she accidentally shot him down that day in the Pacific Ocean and Claudia made her realize she was in love with him.

She took a second to study his features to see if she could gauge what type of mood he was in.

'_Let's see. Corners of his mouth are drawn down, his brow if furrowed, his ears are red and he hasn't even noticed that the teleconference monitor is on. In other words, the usual'_, she thought with amusement. 

She could hear what he was saying to…_'Who is that… Baker?',_ she asked herself.

'Baker, I'm getting really tired of hearing this from you. You're supposed to be one of the best pilots around here these days, show some responsibility and leadership. That's an order.'

Lisa softly laughed. _'This_ _coming from a man who used to…'_

But the thought was lost as she listened to him go on, '…and will someone please turn down the heat! The ordnance manifests for the new Alphas had better be in my hand by the end of shift or I'm going to know why!' he seemed to be saying to no one in particular.

'_Or is it everyone'_, she mused.

Lisa could take it no more and cleared her throat as loudly as she could. Rick heard her and turned around to find her, wondering why no one announced that the Admiral had entered the Sit. Room.

'Lisa…?' she heard him say over the line.

She couldn't help but laugh. _'He's so wound up right now, he may actually hurt himself.'_

"Down here Rick, on the monitor", she said, not even bothering to try keeping the laughter out of her voice.

He turned to look at the teleconference monitor and the red in his ears spread to his cheeks.

'Hey baby', he said. He had abandoned protocol in the last few days. Max's mascot theme was something they both thought about a lot since recent events and the more they thought about it the more they agreed with him. Besides, though she would never admit it to him, she loved it when he called her that.

"Hey yourself. How is it going down there?' she asked.

'You know', came his reply. 'The usual.'

Her smile broadened. She loved the fact that she could tell what was going on with him just by how he looked.

Rick noticed her expanding smile.

'Let me guess', he said in mock annoyance. 'You had that figured out already.' Then he laughed as her face betrayed her realization that he could figure her out just as easily as she could him.

"You rat", she said and noticing the surprised look on his face continued, "you handsome, lovable and very sexy rat."

'You better stop teasing me Admiral, or I'm going to have to come up there and put a stop to it myself.' He kept nearing the monitor as he spoke so that by the end of his sentence he was so close she could see him blow her a kiss without being noticed by anyone else. Good morale was nice, but the line had to be drawn somewhere.

"Threats Admiral Hunter", she said as she leaned back in her chair, lifted her arms over her head and stretched, "nothing but idle threats." She finished her stretch, taking a second to "adjust" her uniform. She waited a couple of seconds more and finally looked at the monitor to see the look on Rick's face, which she expected to be quite hilarious.

What she saw surprised her more than she thought. He was gone and the connection was broken.

She sat back, deflated that her little tease was wasted, when suddenly her door flew open and her husband came in like a man on a mission.

He had made record time.

"Rick..." she said, stunned.

He came to her chair, got down on one knee, took her delicate face in his strong hands and planted the most passionate kiss he could muster on her lips. She just sat there, kissing him, or more accurately being kissed by him, faintly noting that absolutely nothing mattered right now only the two of them.

Suddenly, cruelly she thought, he stopped, got up and walked towards the door. He went out and as he started to close the door behind him, she heard him say with a bemused voice, "Idle threats indeed!" followed by an almost maniacal laugh.

She just sat there, heart pounding and breathing heavily, knowing deep down that she deserved it, but thinking, '_I'm going to get him for that.'_

She sat up straight and began looking over the report she had started on earlier, but after reading the first few words she brought her still trembling fingers up to touch her lips, remembering the feeling of his sweet lips there.

'_Damn,' _she thought, not really upset. _'So much for getting work done.' _And with that she leaned back in her chair and thought of her husband.

----------------------------------

Rick reentered the Sit. Room and went to the console he was working at before Lisa had called. He still couldn't see straight, and the report on the screen in front of him could have been a recipe for haggis for all he knew. He felt the strong feelings of want, desire and love for Lisa course through his veins. He was, in a very real sense paying for the stunt he had just pulled, but kissing his wife and showing her how much he loved her was worth any price.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and heard someone say, "Are you okay, Rick?"

Rick turned to face his best friend and blinked to try to clear his vision. "Yeah Max, I'm fine. In fact I've never been better."

It had only been a few days since the Sit. Room Incident, and seeing Rick like this made Max worry that something had happened on that front.

Rick could see the doubt and worry on Sterling's face so he said, laughing, "I'll tell you about it later. What can I do for you, Max?" asked Rick.

"You can get me two more fully operational Alphas and I'd be happy", said Max smiling and rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Rick nodded. "I saw the Skull's mecha inventory yesterday afternoon and requisitioned four more Alphas for you. You can thank me later."

Max's face brightened considerably as he said," If there weren't so many people here right now Rick I'd give you a big hug."

Rick laughed and said, "You better clear that with Lisa first, Max. Miriya too for that matter."

"No kidding", said Max. "Thanks for the Alphas, Boss."

"Well", said Rick making sure nobody was within earshot, " don't let Clarkson know about this. He'll go ballistic."

Max nodded. Clarkson was Captain Sheldon Clarkson, leader of the Hawk squadron. He was a pompous martinet, a bit paranoid, and always thought that the Skull got the best of everything and his squad got what was left. It wasn't the case… usually.

"Well", said Max, "I'm heading to the mess for quick bite. Care to join me or do you have plans with Lisa?"

Rick smiled and said, "I'll join you if you don't mind. I don't think Lisa wants to see me right now."

Max's worried expression came back and made Rick laugh as he said, "Not to worry old buddy, it's not what you think. Let's go eat and I'll fill you in." And with that Rick was on his way out the Sit. Room door.

"Hey!' exclaimed Max, as he hurried to catch up to Rick.

The Officer's Mess was relatively quiet when they arrived. There were only two or three other people there that they could see.

They sat down and ordered. When the steward was gone Max looked at Rick and said, "All right Boss, time to come clean. What's going on?"

"Well", began Rick, "Lisa called just before you came in and started teasing me. I told her to watch out or I'd make her stop. She dismissed the idea and she…well …she did something that made me snap…in a good way. So I went up to her office, went in, kissed her as hard as I could and left." Rick shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. Max knew better.

"Ohhhh, that's why you were out of it when I came in the Sit. Room", Max said, shaking his head at the idea of it all. Only a couple of weeks ago this sort of thing would have only been found in some romantic's imagination, not in the lives of his two best friends. He was truly happy for them. "You know Rick," he said slowly, "you're going to be in a big heap of trouble when Lisa starts plotting her revenge."

The steward came with their drinks and Rick said, with the confidence and arrogance of a fighter pilot, "Let her take her best shot, I'll be ready."

"Ah Rick", Max said, shaking his head at the ignorance of his friend. "In a battle of seduction and teasing between you and Lisa, well Boss, let's just say that you, sir, are severely outgunned. Cheers."

Max lifted his glass and took a swallow of his drink. He then looked at Rick and burst out laughing, for his commanding officer had just realized he was right.

Resigned, Rick took a gulp of his own drink and said, "That may be Max, but I gotta say, those are the battles I don't mind losing."

Just then the steward came with their food, which they ate in short order, both of them having a ton of work to get done.

"Better get going before they come looking for me", said Rick. "I'm surprised they haven't…." The paging whistle interrupted him.

'Admiral Rick Hunter, you're needed in the Situation Room. Admiral Rick Hunter to the Sit. Room', said the voice of the Sit. Room's communications officer.

"Must be nice to be needed", said Max, enjoying the look Rick gave him. "Come on, I'm headed that way too."

As they got up, Rick said to his friend with a grin, "Max, even though I know I'm going to lose those battles with Lisa, you won't mind if I put up a fight do you?"

"Rick," said Max putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "I've lost every one of those battles with Miriya too, and I still keep fighting." And with that they both laughed heartily as they headed out of the room.

----------------------------------

Unknown to the two good friends, their conversation was being listened to by an interested third party. She was sitting in a corner booth, hidden from them by other tables and her own desire to stay undetected.

Her heart almost fell into her stomach when she heard his voice, and when she heard how he talked about his wife it almost exploded.

'_It won't last'_, she thought as she put her long, black hair back up into a ponytail. When she was finished she got up from her table, left the Officer's Mess and headed towards Fleet Intelligence. _'It won't last, and when it all crashes down, I'll be there for you Rick.'_

----------------------------------

Lisa was in a meeting with several officers, Miriya and Jean Grant among them. The meeting centered on emergency first-aid and evacuation procedures in the field under combat conditions. Several people had asked Lisa to authorize drills to practice and fine-tune these techniques, and she called this meeting to see if such drills were necessary and feasible. There weren't any problems with having the drills, and everyone, including her, thought they were a good idea.

"Okay Miriya, organize the drills in coordination with Jean and her staff. You have my authorization to use anything you need to make the drills as close as possible to combat conditions. Let me know when you're ready, I'd like to observe, if you don't mind."

Miriya nodded at her friend and said, "Yes, Admiral."

"Very well", she said. "Dismissed."

Lisa sat back, closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"What did he do now Lisa?" asked a voice.

Her eyes flew open. She didn't even realize that Jean and Miriya had kept their seats when everyone else left.

She looked at them, trying to keep a surprised look off her face and said, "I have no idea what you're talking about Jean."

Jean and Miriya gave each other a knowing look.

The intercom whistle sounded and it announced, 'Dr. Grant report to the infirmary ASAP. Dr. Grant to the infirmary.'

"I'm going to want to know everything", she said as she ran towards the door.

Lisa laughed as she started to get up, but stopped when Miriya cleared her throat and looked at Lisa expectantly. She sat back down.

"It was nothing, Miriya. He just…"

"'Got you good' was the way Max put it", Miriya said gleefully.

They laughed and Lisa said, realizing Miriya knew already, "Yes, he got me good. It was my own fault and I deserved it. And just between me and you Miriya, I loved it."

Miriya nodded and said, "I am glad that Sue Graham did not come between you two Lisa."

Lisa froze at the mere mention of her name. Miriya realized what she had done and began apologizing profusely for bringing Graham up to Lisa.

"Miriya", she said as Miriya kept apologizing. "Miriya, it's fine…" She still kept apologizing and Lisa exclaimed, " Miriya!"

Miriya finally stopped, and Lisa looked at her sympathetically. "It's okay, Miriya. Really. I don't mind. I'm…I'm glad she didn't come between us too. But you know what, they say that every cloud has a silver lining. We were okay, and we were going to be fine, I have no doubt about that whatsoever. But looking back at the situation, her attempt to…seduce Rick… only strengthened us more. And you know what, I almost want to thank her for that."

Miriya looked at Lisa slyly and said, "Almost." Lisa smiled and Miriya said, "You are a very wise woman Lisa. I'm sure Rick counts his lucky stars every night."

Lisa leaned back in her chair again, closing her eyes for a second. When she looked at her friend again she said softly, "No Miriya, we count them together."

----------------------------------

She stood outside the office of Admiral Rick Hunter and tried to calm her breathing. She was to give Rick the end of day intelligence briefing. The regular briefing officer was off the ship, on an assignment that she had sent him on, which gave her the perfect opportunity to volunteer to do the briefing. _'I worked with Admiral Hunter for a long time, sir'_, was her argument to her CO, and he had agreed. She knew Rick wouldn't welcome her with open arms, she even knew that he wouldn't be happy to see her at all. But she knew that he was a dutiful officer, and she had no doubt that he would be professional.

'_It's one of the things I admire about him'_, she thought, longing for the days when she would see him every day and be near him.

She shook herself out of her stupor and adjusted the shoulder strap of the pouch she was carrying, inside which was the classified materials she would use for the briefing. She then fixed her ponytail and smoothed her uniform over her attractive curves. She took a deep breath and knocked on his door. "Come in", she heard him say from the other side and she opened the door.

He was sitting behind his desk, a folder in one hand and pen in the other. He was reading something in the folder and hadn't yet looked up to see who had entered his office. She quickly looked him over and felt another wave of desire envelope her.

She was still tracing the contours of his face with her eyes when she heard someone say warily, "Good afternoon, Lieutenant Graham." It was Max Sterling, sitting off to Rick's left.

She felt the burn of embarrassment in her cheeks. She had been so wrapped up in Rick that she hadn't even noticed Sterling.

"Good afternoon Captain, " she replied, saluting him. She faced Rick, saluted, and said in an emotionless voice, "Admiral, I have been instructed by my commanding officer, Major Woods, to give you today's end of day intelligence briefing."

"Very well Lieutenant, please proceed", he said, keeping his tone neutral and indicating a chair for her to sit in.

"Yes sir." She sat down, putting the pouch on her lap and began her report, not even bothering to look at her notes, never taking her eyes off of him.

------------------------

When Rick had asked Max to sit in on the EoD intelligence briefing it wasn't totally out of the ordinary. Not commonplace, but not a shock either. He liked to be kept informed of things and Rick knew that. The only surprise was the way Rick acted when he had asked him. He seemed worried, and when Max said he'd come Rick looked visibly relieved.

He had been expecting the usual briefing officer, Lt. Powell, to walk in through the door, but when Sue Graham came into Rick's office Max nearly fell out of his chair. There she was however, large as life and twice as real. She hadn't even noticed him sitting there; she was totally focused on Rick. He was reading yet another report from the chief of security regarding yet another incident involving Jack Baker, so he didn't notice. Max felt obligated to break her study of Rick and made his presence known. Max wasn't a vengeful or mean spirited person, but he did get a sense of satisfaction in her surprise and ruining whatever little schemes she may have been preparing to hatch.

'_I just bet Woods had to order to do this briefing'_, Max thought with deepening suspicion. _'I'd bet Skull One that you weaseled your way into it somehow.'_

He considered Rick to be the brother he never had, and he cared equally as much for Lisa. It had torn him up inside to see them have the hard times they had had. He was so happy when they seemed to get it right again. Lisa, the naval tradition burned into her soul, called it 'getting their second wind.' It looked good on them.

Graham was by now he figured about halfway through her briefing. She still hadn't taken her eyes off of Rick. '_She has a wonderful memory'_, thought Max with distaste. _'She hasn't taken her eyes off of him at all and she hasn't hesitated once with the briefing.'_

He took a moment to study Graham. She was indeed attractive. Her eyes were bright, and the way she had her smooth looking, black hair put up revealed a striking neck. Her uniform fit snuggly over what looked to be an athletic body. She was no Miriya or Lisa as far as Max was concerned, but she wasn't bad.

Then it finally dawned on Max. _'Rick didn't seem surprised when she walked in!'_

Rick's question from a short while ago replayed in his mind:

_'Hey, Max'_, Rick had said. _'I was hoping you were free to take in the EoD intelligence briefing today. I really think…well you know, there may be a few things in it that you might need to hear. You should be there.'_

_'Son of a gun, he knew she was doing the briefing!'_ thought Max.

Now a flood of thoughts came to him, as he watched her continue with the briefing. She still hadn't looked away from Rick.

'_Rick knew that she was today's briefing officer, that's why he asked me to sit in. That's why he was so edgy.' _He glanced over at his friend. Rick was still looking at the report about Baker as Graham continued, and he only occasionally looked up at her, and when he did it was only for the briefest of times.

His mind was racing over the possibilities. Finally he decided on the two most probable reasons that Rick wanted Max to be there.

One gave him only some cause for concern: Rick didn't trust her. All that showed was that he understood the danger that she could pose to him and his relationship with Lisa.

The second possibility gave him grave cause for concern: Rick didn't trust himself. That would be devastating.

"That concludes today's briefing Admiral", Graham said breaking Max out of his train of thought. The only part of the briefing he could remember hearing was Graham's preamble to the report.

"Thank you Lieutenant that will be all", said Rick. "Unless Captain Sterling has any questions. Max?"

"No Admiral, no questions. Thank you Lieutenant. Your briefing was…an eye opener for sure."

"You're welcome, Captain" she said as she stood up, ignoring his odd remark. She faced Rick, saluted and turned to leave. She hesitated at the door and said softly, "It was good to work with you again Admiral."

And she was gone.

Rick knew that Max had it figured out by now so he looked at him and said, "Thanks, Max."

Max stood up, shaking his head. "You could have told me Rick! I almost fell to the floor when she walked in!" he exclaimed.

"Well", said Rick rubbing his chin, "where was the fun in that. I figured the look on your face would be priceless. And it was." He laughed at the annoyed look on Max's face.

Max joined in his friend's laughter and said, "I bet it was."

Max looked at his friend and said with some seriousness in his tone, "I've only got one question Rick. Answer it and I'll never ask it again. Is it her you don't trust, or is it yourself?"

Rick never hesitated. "I totally trust myself, Max. More than that, I trust my love for Lisa. Completely", he said solemnly.

The sincerity in Rick's voice relieved Max, and he looked at Rick, nodding for him to go on.

"Vince told me a few rumors floating around Max, about Sue and how she may have the hots for a superior officer. Before you ask, the rumor mill apparently doesn't know which superior officer she's got it for. And then Woods called and told me that she was replacing Powell for today and I thought a little back up couldn't hurt, in case she got the idea to try something. Just got a little spooked I guess."

Max opened his mouth but he couldn't find the words to speak.

"Exactly", said Rick seeing his reaction. "And I noticed the way she looked at me Max, the way she focused on me. Lisa was right old buddy, she can't be trusted."

Max nodded his agreement and said with a glint in his eye, "You trust your love for Lisa, eh?"

"Even more than I trust you Max."

"That's a good answer Rick, a very good answer. Are you going to tell her about this?"

"As soon as I get rid of you," he said with a smile.

"Well then", said Max taking his cue, "consider me rid of. Good night Boss."

"Good night Max."

He looked down at the picture of Lisa on his desk. '_Why look at a picture, when I can go and be with the real deal?'_ he thought. He gathered the work he had left to do into a pile on his desk, looked at it, and left it there as he set off to find his wife.

----------------------------------

Sue Graham closed the door to Rick's office and smiled. He looked so good, so handsome.

She went to the Fleet Intelligence offices, secured her briefing materials and left to go to her quarters. When she got there she got undressed and headed into the shower. The hot water and steam massaged her toned muscles, and as she washed herself she imagined the hands were not hers, but his.

And for the millionth time since that night in the Sit. Room, she promised herself it wasn't the end for her and Rick Hunter. She was going to make sure it wasn't.

She already had an idea …

----------------------------------

Lisa was just getting ready to get a shower when Rick walked into their quarters. He didn't immediately notice her attire when he came into the bedroom and said, "How was your day, baby?"

Before she could answer, he finally noticed his gorgeous wife standing there wearing her snow-white bathrobe, its belt loosely tied around her elegant waist. He almost had a coronary on the spot.

He went to hug her, but she put her hand out to stop him and said, "Easy there big guy. My day was fine. The usual meetings and briefings. Medical should be coming to you asking about resources for a medical evacuation drill. I'd appreciate it if you'd give them what they need." She kissed his nose with a small, tantalizing kiss. "How was your afternoon?" she asked, pleased with his reaction, which was to try to kiss her. But before he had the chance she moved away from him with cat like agility.

He figured it was just as well to dive in and get it over worth, the sooner the better, so he told her about his day. When he got to the briefing with Graham he hesitated, just for second, hoping not to upset her.

She listened with honest interest, as she always did when he told her of his day. When he was finished she looked at him, her emerald eyes shining, and said in her most loving voice, "I love you Rick." Her way of saying she trusted him, she believed him and believed in him.

In her heart of hearts though, she still couldn't shake the feeling that Sue Graham was far from being removed as a threat to her husband.

She put those thoughts out of her head and started heading for the bathroom. She had her long, shiny brown hair pulled around to the front of her right shoulder, so that when she let the back of her robe drop down just a couple of inches, he could see her beautiful shoulders.

She got to the bathroom door, and asked over her shoulder at him, "Care to join me?"

'_Thank God'_, he thought and started to go to her.

"Make sure the door is locked Rick, please."

He went out and locked the door to their quarters. When he came back into the bedroom and approached the bathroom, he looked at her standing in the bathroom doorway, waving a little good-bye as she shut and locked the bathroom door.

He went to try and open the bathroom door. It wouldn't budge. He heard Lisa giggle and then say, imitating his bemused expression from this morning, "Idle threats indeed."

He turned and put his back against the bathroom door, leaned his head back and sighed. _'Another battle lost Hunter'_, he thought. "Hey Lisa", he said though the door, "You can use all the hot water. I'm going to need a cold shower when you're finished." He moved to lie down on their bed, undoing his uniform as he went.

He had taken off his shirt and was just about to fall onto the bed when he heard her melodious laugh as she unlocked and opened the door. She came out, moving gracefully to where he was standing by the bed and gently kissed him. Then she looked at him with her loving eyes, held out her hand for him to take and said, "Come with me… you rat."

Instead of taking her hand he took her in his arms and said, after kissing her soft neck, "What did I tell you about teasing me?"

With that he kissed her succulent lips, letting loose all the desire and love that had been building in his soul since he kissed her this morning.

Three hours later, they finally made it to the shower.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews everyone. I'm glad you're enjoying the story, I know I am.

Adena, you're a bit of a mind reader eh? I've been saving the Minmei card. I haven't decided yet if she'll figure prominently in this story, but I'm fairly certain she'll at least come up somewhere. And Lisa's feelings about Sue will become clear in the next chapter or two. It all depends on whether or not you guys keep coming back for more.

One other point. I'm not trying deliberately to adhere to McKinney's work (I have several problems with it). For example, in his work the attempted seduction happened on the Ark Angel. I have been writing this story as if it is on the SDF-3, although I haven't specifically stated it. Trust me, I appreciate your comments, so please keep them coming.

Like the man said, once more onto the breach…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

It had been eight days since the Sit. Room incident, and Lisa and Rick Hunter had enjoyed another night of alone time. Every evening since that night they spent together, sometimes by themselves and sometimes with their friends, but they had at least been together, not separated by bulkheads or space as too often had been the case in the last couple of years.

Their passion for each other was immeasurable. They were together now in their bed after another night of showing each other how much love there was between them. Lisa was lying on her left side, with her back up against her husband's strong chest. His arms were around her, holding her as though he was making sure she wasn't leaving without him ever again. Her right arm was lying on top of his, and her delicate hand held his, their fingers interlaced in their own loving embrace.

Lisa was tired, even weak from their night together but there was so much on her mind that she was unable to get to sleep. Her husband, almost as though sensing his wife's restlessness, tightened his embrace and softly said, "I love you, Mrs.-Admiral Hunter."

She smiled. She could still remember the first time he'd said that, the morning after they were married. She awoke to find him staring at her, the most serene look on his face. He kissed her gently and said 'Good morning, Mrs. Hunter.' Before she had a chance to respond he asked, 'Or is that Admiral Hunter.' She giggled, which only encouraged him. Ever the jokester, he continued, 'Mrs. Hunter…Admiral Hunter…Mrs. Hunter…Admiral Hunter…hmmm.' Suddenly he exclaimed with a smile on his handsome face, 'I've got it! Good morning Mrs.-Admiral Hunter.' They shared a laugh, and she responded to his greeting by pressing her soft lips against his.

It was during reliving one of the most important events in her life that Lisa finally fell asleep, in her husband's arms.

----------------------------------

Lisa was dreaming. It was a hazy dream, in which it seemed that she was detached from her own body, watching things from above as though she floated through the air.

She saw herself on the bridge, saluting her command crew as she left for the day; then watched herself go to the Officer's Mess and have a small lunch with her friend Miriya Sterling.

The dreaming Lisa vaguely noted as she watched herself and Miriya that they laughed constantly, laughed at each other, but more often with each other. Yes, she could talk to Max about Rick, comfortably and most times even preferably, but well, Miriya was a woman and there were just some things that could only be understood and appreciated by someone with two X chromosomes.

The dreaming Lisa followed herself, as she said good-bye to Miriya and left the Officer's Mess. She watched as she walked down the corridors of the ship, returning salutes and greetings until she got to the Sit. Room. She walked in and the dreaming Lisa thought that it was strange for the Sit. Room to be so dully lit, and abandoned. She watched herself walk past the monitors and computers up to a chair in the center of the large room, seemingly illuminated by a spotlight in the ceiling. The chair held someone who was leaned back, with his head resting against the high back of the chair. It was Rick, asleep with the warmest smile on his face, and the dreaming Lisa thought it was so cute that he had fallen asleep like this. He heard herself say aloud, "Poor thing, he must be exhausted." Neither Lisa noticed that his uniform top was not done up and his chest was exposed.

"Yes, he is", the Lisas heard a sensuous voice say in the darkness of the Sit. Room.

And as the dreaming Lisa tried desperately to focus, the source of the voice obliged her by stepping into the spotlight. The source of the voice laughed at the reaction of the Lisa that was next to Rick, which was shock, panic and disgust.

Dreaming Lisa, still floating above the scene screamed, and when Sue Graham looked up at her she laughed harder, and harder and harder as she slowly continued doing up her own uniform.

----------------------------------

Lisa opened her eyes in a state of panic and tried to focus, her emerald eyes darting around her surroundings, way ahead of her brain which was trying frantically to catch up.

It took a few seconds, but finally she thought to herself, _"Not the Sit. Room."_ Relief washed over her as she realized it was a dream, a nightmare, and she was in her own bed with Rick's reassuring arms still around her. Tears flowed from her eyes and she instinctively squeezed her husband's hand while bringing it as tight to her own body as she could.

For twenty minutes she was like this, clinging to Rick and crying quietly into her pillow. She looked at the clock on the stand next to her side of the bed. 0643. The alarm would go off in a couple of minutes. She reluctantly let go of Rick's hand, and turned off the alarm before it could wake him. _"He's been working so hard"_, she thought, tears still rolling down her cheek onto her pillow, _" he deserves a few extra minutes." _She took his hand in hers again and gave it a loving kiss. She let go and as softly as she could, slid out of his arms and got out of bed. She brushed her hair back out of her face and found her robe, which she quietly slipped on over her slender figure. She opened their bedroom door, walked out and closed it behind her, but not before she took one more caring look at her sleeping husband.

She went to the kitchen and began the morning coffee ritual by turning on the coffee maker, and sat down at the kitchen table, bringing her hands up to hold her face.

"What am I going to do Rick?" she asked softly, in the most pitiful voice she had ever heard from herself. She brought her hands over to cover her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.

----------------------------------

'_Rick!_' a voice shouted in his mind. '_Something's wrong Rick! Rick, wake up_!' Rick woke up and he automatically checked to see if Lisa was all right, and when he realized she wasn't next to him, and with his mind's voice still ringing in his ears, fear gripped him. He sat up and said, "Lisa?" He rubbed his eyes and tried to get his mind to wake up faster. Finally he smelled the aroma of coffee and realized Lisa was in the kitchen, probably getting ready to go to work. He reached over and picked up the clock to look at it. 0650. He sighed, wishing it was later than that. He put the clock back on the nightstand and as he moved back, his right hand brushed Lisa's pillow where she had been crying. He touched the wet stain reverently, like it was a piece of Lisa's essence.

"_What the …"_, he thought. He had seen this before. Lisa was more sensitive than many people gave her credit for. He looked at the stain again, his heart breaking that she would be sad enough to lose so many tears. The last time he'd seen Lisa's pillow like this was a few years ago on the anniversary of Khyron's last attack, the anniversary of the deaths of Kim, Vanessa, Sammie, Claudia and Admiral Gloval.

He bent down and kissed the stain as if it were her soul and got up. He was so intent on finding Lisa and comforting her that it never even dawned on him to put on his slippers or robe. The sole purpose of his life at that minute was to console her and make her feel better. If the Regis attacked now, it wouldn't matter to him. All that mattered was her.

When he came into the kitchen she was still sitting at the table, elbows resting on the tabletop and her face still hiding in her hands.

His heart sank in despair at her pain. He went to her and put his hand gently on her shoulder. She looked up at him and his heart sank even deeper. He got down on his knees beside her and gently reached over with his hand to brush her hair from the left side of her face so she could see him.

"Whatever it is Lisa, it will be okay", he vowed.

She put her arms down and Rick hugged her with all of his being, his arms around her waist and his head resting against her chest.

"I love you Lisa", he said with tenderness that he never knew he could summon.

After what seemed like an eternity to him, but was in fact only a couple of seconds, she brought her arms up around his neck. Then as she rubbed her hand affectionately through his hair she said in a strong voice, "I love you too. I'll be all right Rick, thanks to you."

And she knew it to be true.

----------------------------------

"Holy cow, Rick. That was the nightmare to end all nightmares for sure." Max Sterling was walking alongside his friend on the way to hangar deck for an inspection of the newest Alphas of the Skull squadron. "Is she all right?" he asked with concern.

"She was shaken up pretty bad Max", said Rick, "but you know Lisa. She's tough. After she told me about it she seemed to feel better. In fact, she even said that telling me helped."

Rick was so intent on Lisa that he bypassed the turnoff to get to the hangar and kept going straight.

"What am I going to do Max?" he asked as he turned to look at his friend and realizing he wasn't beside him called out, "Max?"

"Back here Boss," said Max, waiting by the turnoff with a smile on his face. "You missed the turn."

Only slightly embarrassed, Rick went back to the corridor and asked Max in an amused tone, "How far were you going to let me go before you said something?"

"I hadn't decided", came Max's honest reply, and they laughed.

Max could always be counted on for a number of things, Rick had discovered over the years. He could count on Max to watch his backside in the skies. He could count on Max to give him sage advice about anything: combat, tactics, diplomacy, love. He could count on Max to give him a swift kick in the pants when he needed it, and that had been often. He could count on Max to be loyal and supportive. Perhaps most importantly though, Max Sterling could always be counted on to lighten the mood of anyone he came in contact with, especially Rick.

"Max…"

"I don't know Rick." Max had followed through on his promise to Lisa to assign Graham to the Jupiter Division…sort of. With the delays in getting the ship ready, most recently the problems with the Reflex Furnace for example, the push to organize the attack divisions had slowed. The orders were tentatively drawn up for mecha assignments, duty rosters, logistical support groups and so on, but there had been no actual movement. In other words, the Jupiter Division for example, was fully armed, manned and ready for deployment: on paper. Not in reality. Until then they stayed in the slots they presently occupied. Lt. Sue Graham for example, currently serving as an intelligence officer aboard ship was slotted to be the intelligence officer for the 36th squad, Jupiter Division. Max and the other officers responsible for getting the divisions together had decided not to release the assignments until it was time to actually get the divisions together. There was no guarantee as to what tomorrow would hold, let alone what would happen in days, weeks or months.

Unfortunately, according to Lang it looked like it would be months.

They entered the hangar and a MP stationed at the entrance bellowed, "Admiral on deck!" and came to attention, as did everyone else.

_"Except Max"_, thought Rick gladly, not wanting it to be any other way. 

"As you were", he said loud enough to be heard by everyone, and the hustle and bustle continued. He had always hated that. He hated it when he was a recruit, lieutenant, commander and captain when he'd be the one coming to attention, and he hated it now when everyone came to attention for him. _"Go figure"_, he thought sourly.

Miriya came up to Rick and saluted, which he did in return. She was the opposite of Max. Where Max was casual with Rick at all times, on or off duty, Miriya was almost always military with him when they were on duty. Almost.

Max winked at his wife and smiled.

Miriya narrowed her eyes at him, cleared her throat and said to Rick, "The new Alphas are ready for your inspection Admiral."

"All right let's get it over with", said Rick, as he thought, _"I hate inspections."_

The inspection didn't take very long; they were brand new after all. Max was talking to his wife about pilot assignments, and when they were finished and she wasn't looking, he quickly kissed her cheek and ran away before she could get angry with him. When Miriya was on duty, she usually wanted to avoid that type of thing to help keep discipline in order.

"Max!" she yelled as he ran. When he was out of sight she brought her hand up and touched her cheek saying softly, "Thank you." After a second she went to finalize the roster assignments.

When Max felt he was out of danger from his wife he stopped and looked around for Rick, who had wandered off as Max talked to Miriya. A quick scan of the hangar came up empty for any sign of his friend.

"_I bet I know where he is",_ thought Max, and he started walking to the extreme far end of the bay. Sure enough, Rick was right where he thought he'd be: looking over Skull One.

It wasn't the Skull One that Rick flew those many years ago. That Skull One was long since gone, and Rick had made his peace with that.

It didn't matter to him anymore. This Alpha's designation was Skull One, and that was it.

Rick had his left hand on the fuselage, leaning down to look at the under carriage.

"Hey Boss", said Max coming to stand beside Rick.

"She's a beautiful ship Max", Rick said, almost jealous.

"Yes sir, she is indeed."

Suddenly Max noticed something in Rick's face. He was smiling and nodding to himself.

"_He's up to something", _thought Max with some excitement. When Rick had that look, it meant something special was going to happen.

Rick called Miriya over to where they were. _"Why is she glowering at Max?"_, Rick mused.

"I have an idea", he announced to them. "But I'm going to need your help" he said to Miriya, "and your plane", to Max.

Rick filled them in and when he was finished Miriya gleefully scooted off to do her part. Miriya had seen Lisa earlier and the hollow look on her face, as though she had gotten little sleep. Max yelled to the flight crew chief, "Hey chief, I need Skull One ready to go in ten minutes!" The chief popped his head up out of the cockpit of the Alpha he was working on and said "Yes, sir."

Rick looked at Max and asked, "What do you think, Max?"

Max looked his friend up and down and said, "I think you're going to need a flight suit", pointing towards the pilot's locker room, laughing as he did so.

----------------------------------

Lisa was in the infirmary talking to Jean about the upcoming drill that they had decided on initiating. It was going to be a monumental task, this drill, but worth it. The estimated casualties for the attack on the Regis were astronomical, so it would be paramount that medical evacuations be handled safely and expeditiously. They had nixed the idea of using Tirol for the exercise, and there wasn't another suitable planet nearby. There was a small moon on the outskirts of the system that would do the trick, and it could be reached using subliminal drives at low power levels. The only problem according to local spacefarers was the unusual electromagnetic storms that sometimes ran across the moon's surface. They were very sporadic and hadn't appeared in a little over a year, so it was decided to give it a try.

Jean was going over the list of things she was going to need for the practice. It was a long list.

Jean was still reading the list to Lisa, when a nurse came and told Jean she had a call. She went into her office to take it, leaving Lisa in the main section of the infirmary. All the beds were empty, which relieved Lisa immensely. _"I pray they never have to be used."_ She knew it was a futile thought, but she thought it anyway.

When Jean came back she had a little grin on her face.

"Good news?", asked Lisa.

"Oh, you could say that", was Jean's reply. The call was from an excited Miriya, but Jean kept it to herself. "Anyway, that's it Admiral. I'll send all of this up to your office for your perusal and authorization." Jean was like Max and when she spoke military it was usually in fun.

"Thank you Doctor. I will take all of your requests and suggestions under advisement", said Lisa matching Jean's smile and sense of humor.

"Lisa!" exclaimed Miriya as she rushed into the infirmary. "Please, come quickly! You're needed on the hangar deck!"

Miriya took her by the arm before she could even ask what the problem was and starting pulling her towards the door.

It wasn't until they almost got to the hangar that Lisa finally got Miriya to stop, or so she thought. Instead, Miriya handed her something, _"A flight suit?"_, and pushed her into an empty briefing room saying only, "Please put this on Admiral." And closed the door.

Lisa was tempted to go to Miriya and demand an explanation, but she knew her friend well enough to know that what was happening, whatever it was, wasn't dangerous or anything like that. Besides, when Miriya was determined to do something, well, there was no stopping her.

Lisa took off her uniform and pulled the flight suit up over her body. When she was done she knocked on the door.

Miriya opened the door and after a quick inspection, nodded her head in approval and again took Lisa by the arm.

"Come Admiral," she said in an almost magical voice as they went into the hangar. They went through the door, across the hangar and as they turned into the bay that housed Skull One she said to Lisa, "Your brave knight and his steed are waiting for you."

She gasped. There was Rick, in a flight suit standing next to Max's Alpha. Max was moving away from Rick to come over and stand beside his wife.

Lisa went to Rick. "Would you like to go for a spin around the block, Admiral?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes", she said, in awe of her husband's actions, "I would."

Rick climbed up into the cockpit and Lisa followed. She got in and sat on his lap, just as she had done many years ago when he came to save her from the destruction of Alaska Base like…_"A brave knight on a steed"_, she thought.

Rick lowered the canopy and engaged the hermetic seal used for space flight. That done he looked at Lisa and asked, "Ready, baby?" and she nodded.

Rick took a second to look at Max and Miriya. He gave them a quick salute and moved the throttle forward, engaging the thrusters and taking them out of the hangar and into space. They flew around the system for an hour, not saying a word, just holding each other and marveling at the sights of space. Rick pulled the Alpha into a close orbit of Tirol. He let go of the controls and hugged his wife, nestling his head against her chest.

"Thank you Rick", she said to her husband. She sighed and continued, "I really needed this."

"Watch", he said, pointing to the edge of Tirol. As the Alpha drifted leisurely in it's orbit, Tirol's sun started creeping slowly around the edge of the planet, bringing a breathtaking view of the sun and planet together for them to see.

"Thank you", she whispered again.

"You're welcome", he whispered back. _"Finally"_, he thought, alone with his wife in an Alpha watching a most spectacular sight. _"I've finally found out why they say that 'rank has its privileges.'"_

----------------------------------

Lt. Sue Graham was sitting in the Officer's Mess finishing off her coffee when the laughter of three female flight crew members caught her attention. They were laughing and talking about something, but she couldn't quite make out what it was.

Curious, she got up and went to the self-serve coffee area near their table and refilled her coffee mug. She knew two of the three women, but not well enough to intrude on their conversation. As she slowly got more coffee, she listened.

"You should have seen it, Sally", said one of the women. "They looked so cute and in love."

Sally looked at her companion and said dreamingly, "Wow, Pam, that's so romantic. They have barely been able to keep their hands off of each other lately. It's really nice to see."

"No kidding," said the third woman. "Our lives are much easier when they're like this." She noticed the dismayed looks on the faces of her comrades and added, "Oh come on, it's true. I'm thrilled for them too, but let's be realistic."

Sally looked at her friend with a sour expression and said, "No one can accuse you of being a romantic Sarah." All three laughed.

Sally looked at Pam and asked her to tell her the whole story.

Sue listened as Pam started telling her friends the entire incident. She told of Admiral Hunter, Rick not Lisa, ending his inspection and a few minutes later talking to the Captains Sterling. When he'd finished Miriya took off with a flight suit in her hand and Max got Rick into his own flight suit. A few minutes later Miriya Sterling returned with Admiral Hunter, Lisa not Rick, who was wearing the flight suit and led her to where Rick was waiting for her, next to Captain Sterling's plane, Max's not Miriya's.

The mug in Sue's hand began shaking, ever so slightly.

Pam continued, saying how Rick asked Lisa to fly with him, how she said yes, and how she sat in his lap in the Alpha, exuding the air of love. They were gone for over an hour, and when they got out of the Alpha after returning he took her hand and kissed it lovingly, everyone watching them. Then, still holding her hand, he led her out of the hangar.

The mug was shaking considerably in Sue's hand, and some of the steaming hot liquid leapt out onto her hand, burning her sensitive skin. She put the mug down softly, oblivious to the pain and walked out of the Mess.

She went to her quarters to change her uniform as some of the coffee had landed on her sleeve, and took a few moments to calm herself.

"_Not long", _she thought. _"It won't be much longer and he'll be doing things like that for me."_ She looked at the burn on her hand, really noticing it for the first time, and applied some burn cream to it, after which she headed for her office.

A composed and in control Sue Graham walked through the doors of Fleet Intelligence and headed towards her own office. She had, to her own surprise, become quite comfortable since transferring here. The people she worked with were competent enough, and she enjoyed the work. Being an intelligence officer wasn't that different from being a photojournalist, the obvious exception being the absence of photography in her current assignment. She still tried to get the story, only for different reasons with a different result in mind. Then of course, there was the satisfaction of still being near Rick, and she hoped that was going to get better any minute now.

As if the gods had been listening, Major Timothy Woods, the CO of the Fleet Intelligence division summoned her to his office. As she went there, she thought of Woods. It hadn't taken Graham long to realize that he was a brilliant man. He had to be to be in his position. He had welcomed her into the division warmly and that had meant a lot to her. If he knew why she transferred he had not done or said anything to indicate it and had treated her fairly.

'Lt. Graham', he said to her after she presented herself to him on her first day. 'I've heard good things about you. I'm sure you'll make an excellent addition to Fleet Intelligence.' Then he offered her a handshake, which she accepted and he said with a broad smile 'Welcome aboard.'

She paused at the door to his office, knocked and went in when she heard him say, "Enter."

Woods was standing next to his desk, reading what appeared to be a personnel dossier. He motioned to her to sit down, and as she did he sat down in his own chair behind his desk. "Lollipop?", he offered, holding a jar of lollipops to her.

She declined. He reminded her of stories that people told her of old fashioned doctors on Earth who used lollipops to charm or reward children in the face of or aftermath of discomfort. She knew though, that Woods' use of this simple gesture was to make people think he was soft and simple in order to get them to lower their guard, giving him the advantage in any dealings he had with them. In the little over a week that she'd been in Fleet Intelligence, she had never taken a lollipop.

He placed the jar back on his desk, noting with interest that she again refused a lollipop and looked at her with his brown eyes. "Lt. Powell has asked for a transfer to the cruiser _Copernicus_. I'm inclined to grant his request. He's a fine officer and good man, and he's served me well. The problem I have though, is with him gone we'll be a little short staffed. You've done a superb job since you arrived Sue, and even though it's only been a short time, I can see that you're an intelligent hard working officer. If I can depend on you to keep that up, even pitch in a little more, I'll grant his request. What do you think?"

What did she think? _"Perfect!"_ This was actually part of her plan to get closer to Rick.

The plan involved Lt. Powell. She had done a little digging when she discovered he did the EoD intelligence briefings with Rick and discovered that his fiancé was a communications tech aboard the _Copernicus_. She checked up on that ship and it's upcoming missions and noticed that the ship was soon going to be ordered on a trip to the worlds of the Sentinels on a patrol route that would take at least eight months. She then made sure that Powell discovered this when she sent him to the _Copernicus_ a few days ago, the day she sat in for him and gave the EoD briefing to Rick.

As she had arranged, he learned of the mission, and he had now proved her people reading skills accurate by requesting a transfer.

"Well sir, first of all thank you for your kind words. Second, rest assured that I will do anything I can to keep Fleet Intelligence working as efficiently as it is now, better even, though I doubt it's possible." _"A little flattery never hurts"_, she thought. " I know there are several areas that I can step up and take some of the workload of Lt. Powell". She shrugged her shoulders acting as though she hadn't rehearsed this moment at all and said," The end of day intelligence briefings with Admiral Hunter for instance."

She held her breath.

Woods looked thoughtful for a second, scratching the graying beard on his cheek. "Excellent", he then said jovially. "I'll inform John of his transfer and Admiral Hunter of the change. When you get a chance, think about any other duties you would be able to assume and we'll decide which ones you take. Fair enough?" She nodded and he said, "You'll begin regular EoD briefings tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Yes sir", she said as she stood up, and continued, "If it's all the same to you sir, I'd prefer to inform Admiral Hunter that I'll be assuming the briefing duties." He narrowed his eyes for a second but nodded his approval. She stood at attention and gave Woods a crisp salute.

He saluted back and said, "Thank you Lieutenant.

She smiled inwardly at the success of her scheme and said before she turned and left, "No sir, thank you."

The rest of her plan floated around her mind as she walked back to her office. She closed the door after she entered and sat down in her chair, releasing an immense sigh of relief. She calmed herself down.

She'd have to be patient…

----------------------------------

It was the end of the day and Max was feeling great. Rick's plan worked like a charm. Max learned that after they had left the hangar deck upon their return they both cleared their schedules for the rest of the morning. When he saw Lisa a few minutes ago in a meeting she had an aura about her, an aura that Max saw on Miriya many times before, an aura of love.

Rick's little stunt had another consequence though. It left Max with a feeling of desire to be with his own wife. He saw her now as she serviced her Alpha, her back turned to him.

Max smiled, and slowly began sneaking towards her. Closer and closer he came to her, quiet as a mouse. He was about two feet away from her now. _"She's gonna kill me", _he thought, _" but I don't care."_

He was just about to grab her in a passionate embrace, when she whirled around and with an almost crazed look on her face sprayed his chest with a can of mechanical lubricant.

Max stood there, arms akimbo, uniform drenched in lubricant and looked beseechingly at his wife.

Miriya twirled the can of lubricant in her hand, brought it up to her delicate lips and blew at it, as if blowing the smoke from the end of a revolver after it had just been fired. Just like she'd seen in the movie that Max often liked to watch.

She started to move past him, but hesitated by his side and said softly, "Really Maximillian. Did you think you could sneak up behind me unawares?" She laughed a short laugh and continued on her way.

She was off the hanger deck and halfway to their quarters when Max finally forced himself to move. Remembering something he said to Rick a few days earlier he thought, _"Another battle lost Sterling",_ and laughed to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

Again, thanks for the reviews. I appreciate all your comments immensely. Keep them coming please.

Onward and upward…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

For the next month, Dr. Lang and his team of Robotechnicians, scientists and engineers, pulled twenty-four hour a day shifts trying to make some headway into getting the ship battle ready. It was a painstaking and grueling time, but the need was urgent and human resilience and fortitude was something that the men and women of the Robotech Expeditionary Force had in spades. And in that month, the scientists and engineers proved it.

Admiral Lisa Hunter watched the Reflex Furnace power levels on the bridge monitoring station in nervous anticipation. It was the second of three tests on the furnace to determine its power emissions, stress tolerances and a whole checklist of other things. The first test went well only a couple of days earlier.

To her, the main thing was hitting the eighty percent power level, and then maintaining that level for at least twenty minutes without any variations in the stress levels. They had twenty seconds to go.

She could hear Lang on the communications channel issuing orders to the engineers, demanding reports and power levels. Finally she heard him say over the channel, 'Twenty minutes Admiral, and congratulations on a successful test.'

The bridge crew applauded around her. She heard Dr. Lang say, 'Prepare to disengage Reflex Furnace.'

"Belay that order, Doctor", she said. "Wait."

'Twenty-two minutes Admiral', she heard from him a couple of minutes later.

Lisa said into the intercom, "Increase power level to ninety percent, Doctor." Then she waited for his response.

Lang, sounding distressed said, 'Admiral, I strongly suggest we disengage the furnace.'

"Thank you Doctor. Please increase power to ninety percent."

'Yes Admiral.'

A few seconds later came the report. 'Power output levels at ninety percent Admiral.'

She sat in her command chair, hoping desperately that no one else on the bridge noticed that she had crossed her fingers.

'Five minutes at ninety percent power output', reported Lang. "All indicators are in the green zone."

"Wait", said Lisa quietly.

"Wait…"

Ten minutes at ninety percent. Admiral…'

"Very well Dr. Lang, disengage the Reflex Furnace."

With that the furnace test was terminated, and Lisa wasn't sure if the sigh she heard was the sound of the ship's furnace powering down or Lang finally breathing.

"Now Doctor", she said with a smile, "that was a successful test."

It was better than any of them had hoped for. _"Finally, something is going right"_, she thought.

Into the intercom she spoke. "How long will your examination of the data take Doctor?"

'Give me a day Admiral. There is a tremendous amount of data to analyze.' He continued saying, 'If you would like an estimate for the third test, I feel comfortable in saying it could be as early as seven days from now, depending on the number and complexity of any modifications we have to make to the furnace. The fact that the furnace easily went to and maintained a ninety percent power output is a very positive sign.'

Lisa was amazed. Only thirty days ago Lang was telling her it would be months before the tests would be complete. "Dr. Lang, please express to the members of your team my heartfelt gratitude for their diligent and exemplary work. Their sacrifices will not be forgotten, I promise. If I have my way, they'll all get medals and pay raises. Bridge out."

Lisa sat back in her command chair and smiled. "Captain Forsythe, you have the bridge. I'll see you in the morning."

The ship's executive officer turned to her with a smile and said, "Yes ma'am. You have a good evening."

'Thanks Captain. Good night." She couldn't wait to tell Rick the good news, if he didn't know already. "_He should be home by now…"_

----------------------------------

Admiral Rick Hunter was sitting on the couch in his quarters, waiting for his wife to come home for the day. He looked at the digital clock on the wall, which read 1630, and sighed. _"Still half an hour"_, he thought. He leaned back on the couch and rubbed his eyes and then folded his hands together on his lap. He kept his head back and closed his eyes, resting. He had a long day. Not necessarily a hard day, as a matter of fact it was a rather uneventful day. It was just meeting after meeting after meeting about trivial and unimportant items, and the monotony had drained him more than if he'd spent the entire day in aerial combat.

When his last meeting was finished, he looked at Vince and told him to call Lt. Graham to see if there was anything earth shattering in the EoD. Vince said she had said no, so he cancelled the briefing so he could get out of there early. It was something he'd done occasionally. The end of day intelligence briefing was essentially a brief of all Fleet Intelligence matters. There were times when little happened on the various fronts that the division was responsible for, so it wasn't uncommon for a certain day's briefing to be similar or even identical to that of the previous day. Intelligence could be a slow moving business. He'd gotten into the habit with Powell of calling and asking him if there was an urgent need for the briefing, and if there wasn't he'd cancel. He'd maintained the practice with Graham, even cancelled more frequently. He didn't trust her in regards to what she may try with him on a personal level, but he knew she couldn't afford to jeopardize her career by trying to slip something past him in the EoD.

He sighed aloud, starting to drift off to sleep despite himself. Sue Graham. He remembered that day four weeks ago when she came into his office to do the EoD after Powell had transferred.

He thought back…

----------------------------------

He was sitting behind his desk, shuffling paperwork around in a vain attempt to make it go away without actually having to deal with it. He finally took out a large folder from his bottom desk drawer and laid it open on his desk. With a fanatical sweep of both his hands, he gathered up the documents, requisitions, strategic options, status reports, etc., and slammed it onto the open folder, which he then closed with a satisfying grunt.

He picked up the folder and gently tapped it on the desk so that the papers inside fell in neatly. He then looked at the folder in his hands, trying to decide on whether or not he would take the work home to his quarters or leave it until tomorrow. The decision making process however, was interrupted by a knock on his office door.

'Come in', he said. He heard the door open and without looking up he said, 'Anyone who can make me forget this paperwork is more than welcome!' he said laying the folder on his desk.

Rick looked up after he heard the door close and said in an astonished voice, 'Lieutenant?'

There stood Sue Graham with just a miniscule hint of a smile on her face, and while that was cause enough for alarm bells and red alerts to go off in Rick's mind, the only thing he could find himself thinking was,_' Smooth Rick. Open mouth and insert foot.'_

'Admiral', she said in way of a greeting and saluted. 'Sir, it is my duty to inform you that Lt. John Powell has requested and been granted a transfer to the cruiser _Copernicus_.' She sounded professional and in control. 'Major Woods has assigned me the honor and privilege of assuming the briefing duties of Lt. Powell, including sir, the end of day intelligence briefings.'

Rick was dumbfounded, astonished, shocked and a number of other things.

Here was Sue Graham, only a little over a week since kissing him in the Sit. Room telling him that she was again going to be working with him every day. Why her? What would happen?

Graham continued confidently, 'Lt. Powell's absence has left Fleet Intelligence a little short on man power, sir, and Major Woods has asked all members of the division to assume more duties if they are able. The major thought sir, that with our history of working together it would be best that I assume these duties.'

'Lt. Graham, I'm not sure that I'm comfortable…' he started to say.

But she interrupted saying, 'Admiral, I have been given this assignment. Knowing my record sir, am I capable of carrying out the responsibilities and duties that the assignment entails?'

Rick nodded warily.

'Then sir, I don't see a problem.'

Rick was now in a tight spot. He had admitted that she was capable of doing the briefings, and it was the truth. If he now removed her from the briefings, questions would be asked and any reasons Rick would be able to give would be of a personal nature, not related directly to her job performance. It was a potentially messy situation.

The only thing he could do was accept her presence, and of course stay on guard.

He stood up and looked at Graham intensely. 'Very well Lieutenant. On the record, congratulations on your new duties and I look forward to working with you in these briefings.'

He now looked her straight in her hazel eyes, and in as an authoritative voice as he could find he said, 'Off the record, Lieutenant, watch your step. Do your job and that's it.'

She looked at him coolly and said, 'Yes sir."

'Proceed with you briefing Lieutenant', he said as he sat down.

She started the briefing, and Rick, with a terrible knot in the pit of his stomach thought to himself, _'Lisa is not going to like this.'_

Half an hour after Graham began her briefing she was gone. Rick was just sitting there in his chair, hands behind his head, thinking about his wife and how she was going to take the news of Sue Graham's new duties. Rick had no idea how to tell her, though he never doubted for a second that he had to tell her. '_We'll be fine'_, he thought.

----------------------------------

Rick felt himself dozing off and opened his eyes. Lifting his head up, he looked at the clock again. It had only been ten minutes, though it seemed like an hour. It had been that type of day. He let his head fall back again, and shut his eyes.

He remembered how he was fearful of how Lisa would react. Not fearful in the sense that she would be angry with him or take it out on him or go on some sort of rampage, but in the sense of how it would effect her emotionally. She still had no time for Graham and her nightmare about him and Graham in the Sit. Room had hurt her deeply, very deeply. Not that she had said much about it after telling him about it that morning; indeed she hadn't mentioned it since. That in itself was an indication to Rick that it had really upset his wife.

It turned out that Lisa accepted it like a soldier. She knew about assignments, orders and staffing, but she didn't like it. She knew there was more to Graham getting assigned to the EoD briefings than she was letting on, but she couldn't find out what. Lisa didn't believe in that kind of coincidences, and she made him promise to be careful, which he did.

For her part though, Graham was the consummate professional. There was nothing to suggest that she had any feelings for him at all. She came in, did the briefings and left again. Other than the usual pleasantries and some occasional questions from him to her concerning something in the EoD, there was very little interaction between them.

He began dozing off again, but this time couldn't stop it. He thought about Lisa and was amazed at how just the thought of her comforted him. Her eyes, her lips, her hair, her scent, her kindness, her patience, it didn't matter. No matter what facet of her body or soul he thought of, it elicited the same feelings of belonging, comfort and love.

"_I must be really tired"_, he thought, for he was sure he could feel Lisa's soft brown hair tickling his cheek. Then he thought he could smell her perfume, and it brought a smile to his face. His reverie continued when he thought he could feel her soft, tender lips gently touching his. He felt the electricity in his mouth, and it traveled from there all the way into the deepest valleys of his soul.

He opened his eyes, angry at himself for having to stop the wonderful feelings he was having to look at the clock.

The anger dissipated in a flash. That was how long it took for him to realize that he was looking into a set of beautiful green eyes. He blinked to make sure he was in fact awake, and when he looked again the eyes were joined by a brilliant smile. The rest of his senses kicked into overdrive. The scent of her was real and intense, and as if to confirm that he had felt her lips a few seconds ago, she reached down and kissed him.

Lisa was in front of him, leaning over him with her arms to the sides of his head on the back of the couch, holding her up so that she could hover above him. Her hair fluttered all around his head, touching his face in an elegant dance.

When she saw that he was awake she put her hands on his shoulders and she sat on his lap, placing her left knee on the couch next to his right hip and her right knee on the couch on the other side of him so that they were chest to chest, face to face. He brought his own right hand up to her face, almost afraid to touch it, still afraid he was dreaming and touching her would wake him. His fingers made contact with her soft skin, and he brought his other hand up to the other side of her face and gently pulled her down so that he could kiss her. When their lips touched, he again felt the electricity travel from his lips to his heart and all points in between.

After what seemed like a few seconds, but was actually a couple of minutes, he put his arms around her waist, locking his fingers together behind her back. He edged his backside out to the edge of the couch and stood up without letting go of her, and without stopping their passionate kissing. When he stood up Lisa brought her legs around and crossed her ankles together behind him so that she wouldn't fall. He stopped kissing her and looked into her piercing eyes. She nodded and she lowered her face to his neck so she could kiss it, and as she did this he carried her into the bedroom. He laid her carefully on their bed. She wouldn't let go of him so he gently lowered himself onto her, using his arms to hold himself up to hover over her as she had done only a couple of minutes earlier. He looked into her eyes and said in a quiet voice, "I love you Lisa."

She reached her hands up and placed them on the back of his neck, and as she brought him down to kiss him she said, "I love you too."

----------------------------------

Sue Graham was sitting a table in her quarters, fuming. Rick had cancelled the EoD again and it had angered her. On one level it angered her that when he cancelled a briefing that she had worked on, it took away from her duties and her responsibilities. She almost felt as though she wasn't doing her job. She brought it up to Woods, who shrugged it off, saying the briefings were sometimes redundant.

'A good many times Hunter cancelled on Powell, Lieutenant', Woods had said when she mentioned it to him. 'I don't blame him. The EoD can be a pain sometimes. Don't take it personally.'

On another level, she was angered in that she wasn't able to get as close to Rick as she wanted. A month had passed and in that time he had cancelled thirteen briefings, including today's. It was frustrating. She wanted to be near him, edge her way into his life, into his mind and into his heart.

She had been very careful not to give Rick, or anyone else who may be paying attention, like Max Sterling, any indication of her feelings for Rick. She had been professional to the letter.

She was waiting for the opportunity to present itself, and the scuttlebutt was the time was coming.

----------------------------------

Two hours later Rick looked at his beautiful wife as she slept beside him. He kissed her shoulder and she opened her eyes, looked at him and smiled, almost taking his breath away.

"I didn't mean to wake you", he said apologetically.

"Don't be sorry. Max and Miriya are coming over tonight, remember?" She kissed his nose.

"Then I guess we better get up", he said as he got out of their warm bed. As he pulled on a pair of blue denim jeans he asked, "How'd the test go?"

Lisa was getting dressed herself when he asked the question. She had been so intent on Rick since she saw him sleeping on the couch that she had forgotten about telling him about the test. "Better than expected!" she exclaimed as she put on a pink, tight fitting blouse. "We got to ninety percent and held it for ten minutes. Lang is hopeful the third test can go ahead next week." She pulled on a pair of jeans herself.

Rick, now fully clothed, and not really liking it, looked at his wife with surprise. "Ninety percent? That's fantastic Lisa. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Lisa just finished her own dressing and looked at Rick with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm sorry Rick. But my husband distracted me and kept me otherwise engaged."

He moved to her and gave her a loving embrace. "He's a very lucky man, your husband."

She pulled back to look at him and said straight-faced, "Yes he is," and they laughed.

"Come on", she said. "Our guests will be arriving shortly."

As if on cue, someone knocked on their door. Lisa went into the kitchen to get some beverages ready and Rick opened the door to find Max and Miriya Sterling, arm in arm smiling at each other.

"Why good evening you two", said Rick happily.

Max adopted a concerned look. "Something is wrong Miriya. He has a smile on his face, he looks happy, and…oh my God… his shirt is on inside out!" He pointed at Rick and asked genially, "Who are you and what have you done with the real Rick Hunter?"

"Max you …my shirt's on inside out?" To his embarrassment, he discovered that it was. He excused himself and went into the bedroom to rectify the problem.

When Lisa brought out the drinks and laid them on the coffee table, she heard Rick ask as he came out, "Lisa, how come you didn't tell me my shirt was inside out?"

Puzzled she responded, "I didn't notice."

Miriya quipped, "And was that because you were distracted?"

Max looked at his wife and said as he winked, "Or got dressed in a hurry?"

Rick and Lisa looked at each other, and at Max and Miriya's laughter Rick said with false annoyance, "All right you two, that's enough." When they finally settled down he continued, "Have you two heard the news?"

Max nodded his head. "Ninety percent for ten." Then he turned to Lisa and said, "I was talking to a couple of engineers after the test. They said Lang almost had a stroke when you ordered the ninety percent."

Lisa smiled. "Well then, it's a good thing I didn't ask for ninety-five like I wanted to", and the friends laughed together.

Rick looked at Max and Miriya and said, "Lang says the third test could happen very soon. That means we'll have to issue the orders to get the divisions together."

Nodding, Max thought to ask Lisa, "What about the MED?"

The MED as everyone was calling it, stood for Medical Evacuation Drill, which was a drill to be held on a moon just outside the system to fine-tune evacuations of the injured in a combat situation like they were preparing to face. It was scheduled to take place in six days.

Lisa looked thoughtful for a second and responded, "Thanks for reminding me of that Max. I'll talk to Lang first thing in the morning about it. It would be great to have the ship at full power for the MED. It would be better for the crew to be using their own equipment and be in their own surroundings instead of having to use a secondary cruiser. I don't mind postponing the MED a few days to make it happen."

"Well that's great!" Max exclaimed happily. "The ship is finally coming together, the crew is ready to go and we're all deliriously in love. This calls for a toast." He held up his glass and said "Cheers!"

"Cheers" chorused Rick, Lisa and Miriya lifting their glasses as well.

The conversation stayed in the area of work for the rest of the night. An end was in sight. It was something to talk about.

----------------------------------

Lang was true to his word. Seven days after the successful second test, the final full power test was given. It too was completely successful and the ship seemed to shudder with the collective celebrating of the crew.

Besides meaning the obvious, that the ship now had full power, it meant two other things as well. First it meant that the MED could now go ahead. After receiving Lang's assurance that the third Reflex Furnace test would take place a week after the successful second test, Lisa had moved the MED back to ensure the ship would be ready to take part in the drill. She wanted the medical transports and fighters taking off from and landing on her ship, the ship that would coordinate the attack on the Regis. She wanted her flight crews to be ready, the medical staff to be ready and they wouldn't have gotten the extra practice if another ship had coordinated the drill.

Second, it meant that the attack divisions could be put together. She had been disappointed weeks ago when Max had told her that the division commanders had decided to wait to assemble the divisions, although Max had assured her that Graham would be in the Jupiter Division. She had wanted Sue Graham as far from Rick as she could get her. It wasn't the case, and Graham had in fact gotten to remain close to Rick.

Lisa had said nothing, not even to Max or Miriya about Graham and the EoD briefings. When they asked about how she felt about the situation, her calculated response was that she trusted Rick. It was calculated in that while true, she did trust Rick, it was incomplete in that she didn't trust Graham.

And that scared her.

It was the early afternoon, and she was sitting at her desk in her office not long after the third test had finished, looking at Jean, Miriya and Max sitting across from her. They were just finishing a meeting concerning the timetable for the MED.

"That's it Admiral", Miriya said looking at the notes she had just written. "If we leave for the target moon by 0800 tomorrow, we'll be able to commence the drill at 0800 the following morning. Dr. Grant?"

Dr. Jean Grant said, "Looks good to me. The infirmary and medical staff will be ready. Max?"

Max was nodding his head. "The pilots and flight crews are all chomping at the bit to get going. They've been getting ready for over a month while the engineers have been getting the ship ready. Most of the preparatory work is done, just a couple of minor details to work out, and that shouldn't be a problem. Rick has informed me that the pre-drill ordnance has already been situated on the moon by an advance team of munitions experts, so the explosions and noise should make it look and sound real." Noticing Miriya's intense focus on her notes he said, "Miriya?"

"If we leave by 0800 tomorrow Admiral we should…Max!" She had been so focused on her notes that she answered out of reflex and was about to give the same response she had a minute ago.

The four friends laughed, and Lisa said, "Very good. We leave for the moon by 0800 tomorrow morning. We'll take our time and make final preparations en route. That's it."

Jean, Miriya and Max got up to leave and were to her office door when Lisa asked, "Max, got a second?"

Max remained as his wife and Jean left. Lisa stood up and walked to the front her desk. She folded her hands in front of her and said, "Max…"

When Lisa hesitated, Max moved to his friend, for he could see the emotion building up in her eyes. He gave Lisa a warm hug, which she returned. He knew what she wanted to know. Despite the brave appearance she had put up over the last month he knew she was hurting inside. He knew this because if it had been him in that situation, he'd be hurt, and scared.

He released her, taking her shoulders in his hands, and looking into her eyes he said softly, "It's taken care of Lisa. The assignments go out this afternoon. A few days after the MED she'll be off the ship, for good."

She looked at Max, thankful for his support and friendship. She hugged him this time, and said gratefully, "Thank you Max."

"You better have a damn good reason for holding my wife like that Sterling."

Neither of them had heard the door open, and they broke their hug to look at Rick, standing by the door. For a second they both thought that maybe Rick had overheard their conversation. It was a chilling thought because neither Max nor Lisa had told Rick of Lisa's request and Max's positive response concerning assigning Graham to the Jupiter Division.

It was clear that Rick hadn't heard the conversation, for he was still looking at them with a bemused look in his eyes.

"Well Rick, I thought Lisa…", he edged closer to the door, "well she seemed like…", closer and closer, "that is I think…", closer, "I have to go." And he was gone.

Rick smiled at Lisa, knowing there was nothing crazy or romantic going on. He just loved seeing Max act that way.

Seeing the look of enjoyment on Rick's face Lisa said, "That was cruel Rick. He was just being a friend."

"I know", he said laughing. "But the look on his face."

"You're impossible", said Lisa laughing too as she went to him.

"Guilty as charged", was Rick's reply as he took his wife into his arms. He kissed her lips and felt weak kneed. When he looked at her again he just smiled, and couldn't stop smiling.

They moved to sit on the couch that was in Lisa's office, and once they sat Rick asked, "The MED is on for day after tomorrow then?"

Lisa nodded saying, "I was going to call you and let you know after Max left. We'll leave tomorrow morning and do the drill the next morning. Is that a problem for your people?"

He shook his head. "No, it'll actually do them good to do something like this. They're ready."

"Not much longer Rick", she said. "It won't be much longer and they'll have plenty to do, in the space around Earth, in her skies and on the planet itself."

Rick nodded and put his arm around her, and as she rested her head on his shoulder he said, "They're ready, and so are we."

----------------------------------

Later in the afternoon, Graham was in her office in the former cargo bay that now housed Fleet Intelligence, preparing the next intelligence briefing, when a young ensign entered.

"Lt. Sue Graham?' she asked.

"Yes Ensign, I'm Lt. Graham."

"Ma'am, I have for you a letter concerning your next assignment", stated the ensign mechanically.

"My next assignment?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am", came the reply and the ensign passed over to Graham a sealed envelope which bore on the front her name, rank and current position.

Her job done, the ensign saluted and left.

"_My next assignment"_, she said to herself as she opened the letter.

She read it silently.

After she finished, she sat back and read aloud, "…your assignment to Jupiter Division is a result of your exemplary service, especially in the field of gathering and recording intelligence."

It was signed by Captain Lewis Drexler, commander REF personnel department, with the authorizing signature of Captain Maximillian Sterling.

She should have been furious, angry, and livid. She should go to Sterling and have it out with him. She should go to every officer she knew and complain. She should resign.

Instead, she smiled.

She wouldn't do any of those things because she not only knew of her assignment weeks ago, but also had figured out how to use it to her advantage.


	5. Chapter 5

Sphersian: That was a question that had me searching, thinking and almost crying. lol

According to the timeline, Rick and Lisa would be in their mid to late 50's, which would make it hard for Rick to do some of the things that he did.:) Mckinney's books were, if memory serves, a little more generous with their ages, using space folds as a way to make them younger while still being older, if that makes sense.

I confess that I hadn't thought that much about there ages. I've tried to write them as if they were in their very late thirties, early forties. I know that doesn't jive with the timeline, but hey, it's my first fanfic. As for Graham, I tried to portray her as younger, maybe mid to late twenties. I appreciate your bringing that to my attention. Thank you. I'll remember that for my next story.

Adena: I never thought you were telling me what to do. I took everything you said and say as helpful and constructive. Please don't stop.

That goes for everyone. Thank you for your kind words and reviews.

Now, second star to the right…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Half an hour after receiving the official notification of her assignment to the Jupiter Division, Lt. Sue Graham was sitting in her office with Lt. Andrea Grace, one of the very few people in her life that she actually trusted enough to call friend. They had gone through their basic training together and formed a bond that lasted through that tortuous time, maybe even lasted because of it.

"How much longer until the EoD?" asked Grace.

"Another fifteen minutes", replied Graham.

Grace shook her head, her straight, shoulder length blonde hair moving from side to side as she did. Her brown eyes held a mischievous glow as she said, "I can't believe today's the day. You're actually going to try it."

It was Grace who had informed her of her impending assignment to the Jupiter Division. Lt. Grace was the administration officer in the personnel office saddled with the responsibility of organizing the notification of assignments. Though she was ordered not to release the assignments a month ago, she still knew where most people were going, including her friend Sue Graham.

When Grace had told Graham of her assignment over three weeks ago, she was everything she should have been earlier that day when the ensign came to her with the actual order: angry, livid, terrified and vengeful. But as the hours passed, she realized that it could be used as an opportunity. Grace had told her that Max Sterling had issued the order to have her assigned to the Jupiter Division. While it was common for a Captain to issue such orders, the fact that Sterling, the Captain of the Air Group and Skull squadron leader, was issuing orders for Graham, an intelligence officer, indicated to her that her assignment wasn't just for her "…exemplary service…." It was Sterling's attempt to get rid of her, to get her away from Rick. _"A very valiant attempt", _she had thought, admiring Max's cunning. _"I didn't think he had it in him. You'll forgive me Captain, if I don't go gentle into the night." _Then the thought occurred to her that maybe Max Sterling wasn't the driving force behind her new assignment, perhaps it was Admiral Lisa Hunter. She wouldn't get involved personally, it would be even more obvious and suspicious than Sterling on a number of levels, but she may have felt threatened enough to get him to do something like this. Of course, there was no way to be sure if Lisa Hunter had come up with the idea.

Or was there?

"Time to go Sue", said Grace as she got up. As she left she said, "Good luck."

Sue nodded to her. A few minutes later, she picked up the briefing notes for today's EoD and placed them in her pouch, along with her transfer order. Then she left her office and headed slowly for the office of Admiral Rick Hunter.

Slowly. She needed a few minutes to prepare and she wanted to be late.

----------------------------------

After leaving his wife in her office, against his will and better judgment, he returned to his own office and waited. His last appointment for the day was the EoD and he was waiting patiently for Sue Graham to do the briefing so he could call it a day. The MED was the next day, slated for mid-morning. It would be a busy and long day. He would have cancelled the EoD briefing but he had cancelled too many times lately, and Major Woods had mentioned it to him.

He sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. _"It figures"_, he thought bitterly. _"The day before the MED she picks for her first time to be late."_

He was reaching for the intercom to call the comm. officer and get him to page her when there was a quiet knock on his door.

"Come in", he said with a bit of annoyance in his voice.

Lt. Sue Graham came into his office and sat down in the chair facing his desk. That was alarm bell number one for Rick. She had never entered his office and sat down without saluting and announcing her presence before. Rick looked at her and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. She looked like something the cat dragged in. It was obvious by the redness in her eyes that she had been crying and her hands shook as she took her briefing notes out of the carrying case she always brought to the EoDs. It took Rick a minute, but he noticed that even her breathing was ragged. In all the time that he had known Sue Graham, he had never, ever seen her so…_"Distraught"_, he thought.

She took her notes from the case and held onto them on her lap, her hands still shaking terribly. She didn't look up and appeared to be despondent. He waited several seconds for her to say something, but she just sat there staring at the floor between her feet and Rick's desk.

He asked softly, "Is there anything wrong, Lieutenant?"

He had spoken softly, but the sound of his voice still appeared to startle her. "Lieutenant?" and she finally looked at him. "What is wrong?" he asked.

Rick watched as she opened her mouth as she tried to speak, yet nothing came out. That was alarm bell number two. He had never known Sue Graham to be totally speechless.

Rick was really worried now. Even when he had rejected her advances at him in the Sit. Room, she was calm, cool and collected. But here she was, sitting in front of him now a total wreck.

Finally Graham said, her voice barely a whisper, "Please Admiral, may I have a few moments?" She began to look at the notes on her lap and Rick thought she looked as though she couldn't focus.

He got up from his chair and walked around his desk to stand beside her. He went to one knee and carefully took the briefing notes from her hands and placed them back into her carrying case, which he laid beside her chair.

"Lieutenant", he began, "What's the matter? Let me know, I may be able to help."

She just looked at him, her eyes beginning to water.

"Sue…" he said.

"Did you know about this Admiral?" asked Graham, her voice cracking.

Rick was stunned. "Know about what Lieutenant?"

She took her assignment order from the front of her case and looked at him, the tears in her eyes building up quickly. "This! My assignment to the Jupiter Division."

"Jupiter Division?" he said in a puzzled voice as he took the letter and sat on the edge of his desk in front of her.

He read the letter, and when he was finished he looked at her and said in a calm voice, "Sue, I know absolutely nothing about your being assigned to the Jupiter Division. I was not consulted or informed about it." He looked at the assignment notification letter again, noticing for the first time that Max had ordered the transfer. _"Max?"_ he thought in disbelief. What was Max doing issuing orders for intelligence staffers? That wasn't for him to do.

"Admiral, please, I can't go with the Jupiter Division. I've finally found a home in Fleet Intelligence, a place where I belong! There's no reason for me to leave there to join Jupiter. Even Major Woods doesn't know what's going on, sir, and he's my CO! All he said was that Captain Sterling had informed him of my reassignment, but he would give no explanation for it. Fleet Intelligence is so under staffed, it…it makes no sense." Her voice now alternated between cracking and whispering. She looked at him pleadingly, "Why would Captain Sterling issue those orders, Admiral? Why?"

The tears were streaming out of Graham's hazel eyes by now and Rick was genuinely concerned about her emotional stability.

He looked at her and said soothingly, "I've known Max Sterling for a long time Lieutenant. I'm certain he has his reasons." But Rick couldn't readily imagine what they were.

"Lieutenant, please return to your quarters and wait for me there. Try to remain calm." He gave her a reassuring smile and said, "I'll go and talk to Max about this and see what's going on."

"Yes…sir", she managed after releasing a new wave of tears. She got out of her chair, picked up her case and opened the door when she reached it. She went out and Rick followed to watch her from the doorway. She walked away from his office, bent over a little as though she were about to be sick.

"It'll be okay Lieutenant. I promise", he said to her back.

"Thank you sir", she said feebly as she kept walking.

----------------------------------

When she heard his office door close behind him as he went back inside, Sue Graham straightened up and a broad smile slowly emerged on her face. She took a tissue from her uniform pocket and wiped the tears from her eyes and face. It was a performance worthy of awards and accolades. Crying on demand was a talent she had learned as a young child to get things that she had wanted, and she had practiced it and used it many times over the years when she discovered members of the opposite sex would do almost anything to stop her from crying.

A few moments later, after she returned the classified documents to Fleet Intelligence, she was inside her quarters, sitting down on her couch replaying with extreme satisfaction the events of the last few minutes.

The smile was still on her face as she thought, _"That went very, very well…"_

----------------------------------

Max was out on patrol and wouldn't be back for at least an hour, so Rick decided to head home and wait. He ran over what Graham had told him and thought, _"Why would Max issue transfer orders to an intelligence officer?"_ In the little over a month since the Sit. Room incident, she had been the model professional soldier and caused no trouble that he was aware of. Woods adored her and her work ethics and he had no problems with her in the EoDs. She was professional, never spoke out of turn or about anything other than the briefing. She never even asked about Roy, something she used to do frequently before that night in the Sit. Room. _"The Jupiter Division. Think. She'd leave Fleet Intelligence and go aboard the…" _It was as he walked the corridors and thought that thought that it dawned on him.

"_He transferred her to get her away from me! Ah Max, what have you done?"_

He arrived at his quarters and went inside, furious at his best friend.

"Rick?" he heard from the bedroom.

"It's me Lisa", he said as a reply.

He sat down on the couch, leaned back and folded his hands on his lap.

He was still like that a couple of minutes later when Lisa came out of the bedroom. She saw his face and instinctively went to him and sat next to him on the couch.

She looked at him and asked worriedly, "What is it Rick?"

"Max", he said shaking his head. "Max issued transfer orders to Sue Graham to get her off the ship and away from me."

Rick didn't notice Lisa automatically tense when he said her name. She didn't realize it, but she took Rick's arm and held it tightly, very tightly.

He went on to explain his EoD briefing with Graham, her look, her attitude and her helplessness.

"What was Max thinking Lisa?" he asked with numbness in his voice. "She was doing nothing, only her job. She was professional and responsible. On top of that, I talked to Major Woods and her departure leaves Fleet Intelligence with less than half of a full staff. He needs her in Fleet Intelligence. How dare Max jeopardize Fleet Intelligence for a personal matter."

"Maybe he was just looking out for his best friend", she replied weakly.

"And I appreciate Max's concern, really I do. I'm touched by the fact that he looks out for me, for us. But I'm a big boy, Lisa, I can take care of myself when it comes to Sue Graham."

He kissed her cheek and got up. He went into the bedroom and quickly changed into a fresh uniform. He said when he came out, "Max should soon be in from his patrol. I've got to talk to him about this."

She sat on the edge of the couch and said quietly, "Rick…"

"It's just the thought of it all", he said with angst. "He deliberately compromised the viability of an essential division to do this."

"Rick, please listen to me…" she tried again.

He stopped by her and kissed the top of her head and said, "I won't be long Lisa."

As he turned to leave Lisa grabbed his hand and held on tightly.

"Lisa…"

"It was me Rick. Not Max. I asked him to transfer her to the Jupiter Division. I asked a favor of a dear friend and he did it for me. He's not to blame." She spoke quietly, but with confidence. It was the confidence of knowing that what she did she did for the love of her husband and for their marriage. Even for her own sanity.

"Lisa…I don't…why?"

She looked into his blue eyes, locking onto them to reinforce what she was about to say. "I didn't trust her Rick. I still don't. What I did, I would do again in a heartbeat if it meant protecting you and us."

Rick was in a state of disbelief. His wife was admitting that she had organized the transfer of a woman into a division that was about to stare death right in the face because she had feelings for him. Besides that, Fleet Intelligence would be severely compromised, which by extension compromised the safety of the fleet.

Rick was almost speechless. "Lisa…I don't understand. When did you ask Max to do this?"

"Two nights after she kissed you in the Sit. Room", she answered.

"That was over a month ago. How come neither of you told me this?"

"I …I didn't want you to think that I was so weak to believe that she could be a threat to us."

He said angrily, "Lisa…"

The intercom buzzed and paged Lisa. She went to it and began talking on the headset to Forsythe.

Rick just stood there, fuming. _"I don't believe this!"_ he shouted at himself. _"What has gotten into her?" _Before he even finished asking the question to himself he was telling himself the answer. _"She loves you Rick, and despite your best assurances she was afraid of losing you." _He looked at his wife, still talking into the headset. _"Why didn't she just trust me?" _Again came the answer, _"Because you can be an idiot when it comes to women Rick. You didn't even see the first kiss coming in the Sit. Room, and let's not even get started on how long Lisa had feelings for you before you noticed." _He shook his head. He had asked her to depend on him to keep harm away from them, to stay on the sidelines and let him handle it, and Lisa couldn't just stand by and allow him to do it alone.

He couldn't blame her. _"What would I do if our roles were reversed?" _He didn't even hesitate for a heartbeat before answering himself. _"Rick old son, you would do anything and everything you could to keep your relationship strong and keep Lisa safe. And I wouldn't be able to stand by and let Lisa do it herself."_

Lisa hung up the headset and came back to sit on the couch. She didn't look at him. She couldn't.

He knelt down in front of her. With his right hand he lifted her chin up, then brushed her beautiful brown locks away from her eyes so he could see them, and she could see him.

"I love you", he said calmly, warmly.

She looked at him and blinked. That had been the last thing she was expecting him to say right now.

Seeing the confusion on her face he said, "Lisa, I can understand why you did what you did. You have made no secret of the fact that you don't trust Sue Graham, I don't either. You felt she was a threat to us, and you moved to remove the threat. That's a sign of love I'd say", he said smiling. "I thought about it while you were on the phone, asking myself what I would do if the situation were reversed and you had a handsome young man kiss you. I have to admit that I would do anything to make sure he was as far away from you as possible. More than that, I'd probably clock him too."

When the confusion remained on her face, he said, "I love you, but understand that I'm mad too." He adopted the tone of an Admiral talking to a subordinate who had broken the regulations. "You and Max used your authority to take care of a personal matter, and in doing so put in peril the operations of Fleet Intelligence, a division essential to the safety of everyone."

He softened his expression and tone again. "Sue Graham is not a threat to us Lisa. You've got to trust me on this. Trust me, trust my love for you and trust that you're so beautiful in every way to make me fall in love with you every time that I see you. Nothing is going to change that. I promise." The last two words were a whisper.

She looked into his blue eyes and realized that her eyes were filled with tears, and it was only another second before they were rolling down her delicate cheeks. He brought her into a loving embrace.

"I'm sorry Rick. I'm sorry that…"

"Shhhhh", he said moving back from her. He kissed her lightly on the lips and looked at her. "No apologies. If I hadn't been so slow I could have stopped all of this before it started weeks ago. No blame, okay?"

She nodded and said softly, "Don't be mad at Max, Rick. He was just doing what I asked him to do. Please, don't even mention this to him."

He looked at her emerald eyes, and for the first time since he had known her they were begging him to do something for her. "Okay", he said. "Not a word to Max. But I'm going to rescind his transfer order for Graham, and then I'll go let her know, I told her I would. She should be waiting for me in her quarters."

He got up and was going to leave to do just that when Lisa said forcefully, "No."

"Lisa…" he began.

She stood up and Lisa said again, "No. I did this and I'll fix it."

She went to the door and reached to open it, only to have Rick take her hand. He brought it up to his lips and he kissed it lovingly. "I'm proud of you, baby. Hurry home."

She nodded her head and left, and on her way to the quarters of Lt. Sue Graham she thought, _"No more being afraid and insecure. I've had enough of that."_

----------------------------------

Sue Graham had taken a shower and barely bothered to get dressed. The only thing that covered her athletic curves was an almost see through, knee length scarlet robe. Sue had kept her dejected look as best she could, waiting for Rick to come to her after having it out with Sterling and maybe even his wife.

He would be furious with Sterling, and even more so with Lisa if she were involved. She couldn't wait for him to come to her in that state of mind: confused, disoriented and vulnerable.

Very vulnerable and susceptible to her feminine charms. She took a moment to imagine Rick, furious and beside himself, coming to her.

Her trance was interrupted by a knock on her door. She messed up her black mane to give it a more disheveled look, went to the door and smoothed the robe down over her toned features. She opened it and…

…almost fainted from the shock she experienced from seeing Admiral Lisa Hunter at her door.

"May I come in Lieutenant?" This was one conversation Lisa didn't want to have in the corridor.

Sue found her voice and said, "Of course Admiral." She stepped back to allow Lisa entry into her quarters. Lisa took a quick look around. _"Only one picture, no mementos, no knick-knacks. Who is that in the picture with her? Lt. Marques from the infirmary and… is that Lt. Grace from personnel?"_ A light turned on in the back of Lisa's mind. She turned and looked at Sue Graham, the cause of so much of her worries and torment over the last month and a bit. _"Damn"_, she thought as she took in her features. _"She is good looking."_

"How can I help you Admiral?" asked Graham, trying to keep the nervousness and shock out of her voice.

Lisa looked at her and smiled a sardonic smile. "Well now, Lieutenant Graham. The short answer to that question is stay away from my husband. But that seems to be a near impossibility these days. You have cajoled your way into doing the EoD briefings with him…"

"Admiral, I never…" Graham began to protest.

"And make no mistake Lieutenant", Lisa interrupted adding more force to her voice, "I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that you did weasel your way into it somehow."

Sue just stood there, looking at the Admiral of the Fleet, astonished and a little mortified. She started to move closer to Lisa, but Lisa said, "Attention!"

Sue Graham came to attention in the middle of the living room in her own quarters.

Lisa slowly moved to her and stopped a mere couple of inches away from her face. "I have rescinded your transfer order to the Jupiter Division, Lieutenant. You're needed in Fleet Intelligence, as it is under staffed already and would be more so without your presence. You will report there tomorrow morning bright and early as you always have, as though nothing happened. A mistake was made, it was rectified, end of story. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!" said Graham.

"I know Lieutenant, that you have been scheming and plotting to take my husband away from me. It will stop. Now. Understood?"

"Ma'am?" she said, trying to look and sound as ignorant as possible concerning Lisa's allegation.

"I never came to see you after you kissed my husband in the Situation Room, Lieutenant. Did you ever wonder why?"

Actually, she had wondered why, but instead asked, "Ma'am?"

"I never came to see you for two reasons." She started slowly walking around Sue and continued talking. "The first reason was that Rick had handled it. He told you he was married, in love with and devoted to me. He told you to transfer and to never try anything like that again. We both thought that was the end of it and then you transferred just down the hall to Fleet Intelligence." She continued circling Graham, who was at this point in time visibly distressed. "The significance of that wasn't lost on me Lieutenant. I'm not a simpleton. You obeyed his order, but managed to stay close. I concede it was very clever of you."

Graham didn't dare respond. She just stared straight ahead and listened as Lisa slowly circled her.

"When you began the EoD briefings, I did some checking. Lieutenant Powell is a good officer, and he wouldn't request a transfer unless it was for a good reason… like love. I wonder how he found out about the _Copernicus'_ mission to patrol the Sentinel worlds before the order was even given to its commanding officer. Captain Jansen was quite surprised when Powell asked him if he could join the _Copernicus_ before it left on a mission that he hadn't been informed of. Maybe he had some inside info from someone like, oh I don't know, your friend Lieutenant Grace." It was a hunch, so she played it.

Sue lost it for just a split second. It was Grace who had been her informant on that as well as her assignment. She shot a small nervous glance at Lisa who caught it as if she was waiting for it.

She was.

"I thought so. The second reason I didn't come to see you Lieutenant", she said as she continued circling her prey, "was that I was actually afraid of what I might do to you." She stopped in front of her and said, as an idea inspired by something her husband had said minutes earlier came to her, "At ease."

Sue Graham complied, and as she relaxed her shoulders she received a strong right hook from her commanding officer.

The left side of her face exploded in pain as she stumbled back and would have landed on the floor on her rump except the door got in her way. Lisa followed her and again stopped inches from her face.

"I will fight any fight I must to protect my husband, my marriage and my family. Any fight, any battle. No exceptions, Lieutenant. I love him dearly and he means more to me than anything else in the galaxy, with the sole exception of my little boy. Stay away from Rick, Sue. It's not a request and it's not an order. It's a warning."

Lisa stepped back, and Graham moved out of the way, still in shock.

Lisa opened the door and hesitated. "You were waiting for Rick to come with news about your transfer, is that right?"

Graham, still in shock and not thinking, only nodded affirmatively in response.

Lisa looked at her with eyes that could almost kill and asked, "Do you always wear a sheer robe when you're expecting company, or was it just that the company you were expecting was my husband?"

Graham opened her mouth but could say nothing.

Neither did Lisa. She just left and closed the door behind her. She got around the first corner on the way back to her quarters and stopped, turned and leaned her back against the wall. She bowed her head and shook her hand. It hurt like blazes, but there was no way she would let Graham know it. Lisa wasn't sure how she should be feeling. Should she proud of herself? Embarrassed? Ashamed?

She had never hit anyone before out of pure malice, although when she had first met Rick she was tempted to pop him in the kisser once or twice. She couldn't sleep for a week after the first Daedalus Maneuver. It was her idea, and for a while she personally blamed herself for the deaths of hundreds of Zentraedi. Even in the few combat situations she had engaged in during the Sentinel campaign, she felt remorseful for hurting her opponents.

She could summon no such remorse right now.

She thought about it for a second longer and decided that she did what she had to do to protect everything that was important to her. And there was no shame in that…

----------------------------------

Sue Graham put some ice in a cloth and held it to her tender cheek. There would be a formidable bruise there by morning.

"_I severely underestimated you Lisa, and for that I'm sorry. But it isn't over. A time will come. I don't know when, where or how, but it will come, and I'll be ready."_

Still holding the improvised ice bag on her left cheek, she lid down on her couch and closed her eyes.

----------------------------------

When Lisa got home she found her husband waiting for her on the couch. When she closed the door after entering he got up and went to her.

He kissed her with a passion and she nearly melted in his strong arms. She was still amazed at how well he had reacted to all of this.

He stopped kissing her and took her right hand with the intention of heading into the bedroom.

She winced instantly and exclaimed, "Ouch!"

Rick, startled, let go immediately. "What happened?" he asked as he gently took her hand again and looked at it carefully. He saw a darkened spot on her knuckles, the type of thing he'd seen on his own knuckles whenever they had come into contact with someone's jaw.

"I hit something", she replied honestly.

Rick gave her hand a tender, gentle kiss and headed for the kitchen. He returned with an ice pack, placed it carefully on her injured hand and asked with a grin on his face, "Something or someone?"

Lisa tried to stammer an explanation but Rick cut it off with a passionate kiss and the world went away. It was getting late, and tomorrow was the big day. The MED would exhaust everyone on the ship, them included.

Still kissing they edged their way into the bedroom and eventually to their bed.

The ice pack dropped to the floor and Lisa, enjoying the moment, forgot about the pain in her hand, and more importantly she forgot about the cause of it….


	6. Chapter 6

Not quite finished yet.

This chapter and one more.

I think.

Tally ho…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The alarm went off at 0645, waking Lisa out of a wonderfully blissful slumber. She reached with her right hand over to the nightstand to turn off the alarm, and as soon as her slender fingers touched the device she was reminded by a shot of mild pain that the night before she had punched someone. She groaned inwardly and gently flexed her fingers, as if to make sure they were all working in the proper fashion. They all worked and the pain was at least bearable. _"And worth it",_ she thought to herself unrepentantly. She felt no satisfaction in physically hurting Graham. No, she just hoped that Graham had received, understood and complied with her warning to leave Rick alone.

"_Rick",_ she thought. He was still asleep next to her, so exhausted that the alarm hadn't woke him up. She rolled over onto her right side and looked at him. _"He looks so peaceful"_, she thought, knowing that very soon they both would be anything but peaceful. She had told him what had happened with Sue Graham as they cuddled together before going to sleep the previous night. Rick was very understanding about the entire mess, and Lisa was angry with herself for so misreading him and how he would react. She had figured that he would go completely off the deep end over her involvement in Graham's transfer, but he didn't. And while she felt guilty for thinking that the worse in Rick would come out because of it, she was thrilled that after all their time together, all the heartache in the beginning of their relationship to the recent bumps, he still found new ways of making her fall even deeper in love with him. She hoped she did the same for him.

She hated to do it, but it was going to be a busy day, and they needed to get going.

"Rick", she said softly. "It's time to get up."

He didn't budge and she tried a little louder this time. "Rick, we have to get up."

Nothing. She brought her left hand up and started tracing his jaw line with her index finger. He opened his eyes as he sensed her touch and when he saw her beautiful face looking at him he smiled. He said affectionately, "Now I want to wake up like this everyday, with your gorgeous eyes watching me." He leaned over and kissed her, his lips locking onto hers with a force that seemed to shake them both to the foundations of their existence. She forced herself to pull away from him saying with regret in her voice, "We have to get up, handsome."

He nodded. "Today is the day, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically.

She nodded anyway and kissed him lightly on the tip of his nose before getting out of bed. He just lid there, admiring his wife's beautiful features, her soft skin, her luscious curves, her generous….

A pillow thrown at him by the object of his admiration interrupted his admiring. She laughed at his perplexed look and went into the bathroom. Seconds later, he heard the shower running.

He stayed in their bed, unwilling to leave the place where he had last held her in his arms. He put his head down on the pillow she had just thrown at him and smiled. He thought of the previous night: his anger, his acceptance of the fact that he would have done something similar, their trust of each other's love, his pride in her, the passion and their love. After the few blissful seconds of remembrance, he made himself get up and put on his robe. He made his way to the kitchen and got the coffee going and with that much accomplished, he headed back towards their bedroom and he took out his uniform and laid it across the bed. He decided to head into the bathroom to get a head start on his own business. He entered and took out his shaving gear, applied the shaving cream and started shaving. By the time he was finished a couple of minutes later, Lisa was finished her shower. He turned to look at her as she got out of the shower, the water glistening on her exquisite body.

She caught the look on his face, which more than betrayed the wanting he was feeling for her and smiled, almost embarrassed at his attention. She put on her robe and walked up to him, gave him a small kiss on the cheek and said seductively, "Rick…?"

"Lisa…", he whispered, yearning for her at the tone of voice she used.

She looked at him, her emerald eyes drilling into his blue ones and said in the same sultry tone of voice, "That coffee sure smells good."

She laughed at the stunned look on his face and left him alone in the bathroom.

A minute later, Rick, the stunned look still firmly entrenched on his face, took off his robe and got into he shower.

It was a very, very cold shower.

----------------------------------

At 0725, Rick and Lisa got up from their kitchen table after eating breakfast and got ready to leave their quarters. They stopped by the door and looked at each other, so much spoken in just one look, so much understanding and love.

"I may head down to the moon and take in some of the drill, if everything is fine in the Sit. Room", he said to her. "Care to join me?"

"I'd love to", she replied, "but I may not be able to. If you go down, call me and if I can I will."

He took her hand and asked before he kissed it, "How's your hand, slugger?"

She laughed and replied feigning irritation, "Fine. I had forgotten about it until you asked."

She kissed him hard and then said, "I'll talk to you soon." She left in a hurry, afraid that she would be unable to say good-bye to him, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Hey!", he shouted and ran after her. He caught up to her in the corridor and kissed her gently. Then, Admiral Rick Hunter looked at Admiral Lisa Hunter and said softly, "I love you."

Her green eyes sparkled like the reflection of a blazing sun on a lake and said, "I love you too."

As she walked away from him to assume her post on the bridge, he thought to himself, feeling so incredibly lucky to have her in his life, _"There goes my wife."_

He smiled and headed to his own post, the Situation Room.

----------------------------------

"What happened to your face, Sue?" asked a somewhat shocked Lt. Andrea Grace as she sat down in the visitor's chair in Sue Graham's office.

Graham's cheek sported a noticeable bruise, just as she feared it would. Make-up did a bit to hide the blemish, but it could not conceal it entirely. And it still throbbed with a constant pain that spiked when she smiled, though she had little cause for smiling since Lisa Hunter came to her cabin.

Checking to see if the door was closed, she said quietly, "Admiral Hunter did this to me in my quarters last night."

Grace was flabbergasted. "Rick hit you?" she asked incredulously.

Graham shook her head. "Not that Admiral Hunter. The other one."

"Lisa?" Grace's eyes widened in surprise, she couldn't believe it. "What happened?"

Graham told her friend the whole story. How she went to Rick's office, how she poured on the tears and how he responded, in her favor.

Grace had listened to this much with satisfaction. When Sue had told her of her idea and plan, she had been skeptical to say the least. But if there was one thing that she knew, it was if anyone could pull off such a scheme it was Sue Graham.

Sue continued, "So I waited for him in my quarters, like he told me to. Got a shower and put on my robe…"

"That see through one?" asked Grace and when Graham nodded exclaimed, "Wow!"

Graham wrinkled her nose and said distastefully, "Not really. When there was a knock on my door I assumed it was him. It wasn't."

Grace took a second to imagine Admiral Lisa Hunter standing in the doorway of Sue's quarters.

Graham noticed the excitement ebb from her friend's face. And said, "Exactly. There she was, asking me if she could come in, like I could really stop her."

Sue continued with her story, telling Grace what Lisa said and did, all the way down to her punch and the question she asked as she left about her robe.

Grace shook her head slowly, picturing Admiral Hunter decking her best friend. It was beyond belief, though she knew it had happened. Graham wouldn't lie to her and the shiner she had on her cheek spoke volumes.

"Are you going to report this?", asked Grace though she knew the answer.

Confirming Grace's instinct Graham replied, "Not a chance. There would be too many questions, too much trouble."

"So what now? Give up?", Grace asked.

"No", was Graham's simple answer.

Grace checked out the clock on Graham's office wall. O755. "They'll soon start the preparations for the MED", said Grace. "Did you know they rescheduled it for 1400 hours?"

Graham said, "Yes, I'm going down to the moon around 1300 hours. Major Woods asked if I'd mind observing the drill from the surface. At this point in time, I could use a time out from being on this ship so I told him I'd do it."

"All right Sue, watch yourself", said Grace as she got out of her chair. She turned to leave but hesitated at the door, turned to look at her friend and asked, "Are you okay, Sue?"

Touched by Grace's concern Graham smiled, though it hurt terribly and said, "You bet. See you later in the Mess?"

Grace nodded and she was gone.

Graham relaxed her aching face and sighed. _"I will be all right anyway"_, she thought.

----------------------------------

At 0830 Captains Max and Miriya Sterling entered the hanger deck arm in arm. Max walked his wife over to her Alpha and kissed her hand. She smiled and kissed his cheek. The only time that Miriya broke protocol and showed affection for her husband while they were on duty was before combat or a mission or on an occasional whim. After saying good-bye to his wife, Max went to inspect his own plane. He checked everything, as was the custom before a mission and had just finished when he heard a feminine voice say softly, "Max."

He turned to see Lisa standing behind him. He automatically registered the mixture of happiness and unease on her face. "Is everything all right Lisa?", he asked with concern.

She looked around and stepped closer to him so that she could speak softly to him. "Max, Sue Graham told Rick about her transfer yesterday. The short story is she purposely fell apart on him, and he wanted to talk to you about her transfer order. He was really mad Max."

Max gulped. Rick was a great guy, his best friend and mentor in many areas, not all related to work. Max knew better than most that when Rick was really mad, it was a very bad thing, especially for whomever Rick was mad at. Max in this case.

"It's okay", said Lisa reading the anxiety in his eyes. "I told him everything, Max."

"Everything?" he asked.

Lisa nodded. "He was angry Max, but after he thought about it he said he could understand why I did it, and he put himself in my shoes. He said he would have had the same feelings and would have tried the same type of thing."

Max said with humor in his voice, "Are we talking about the same Rick?"

"Yes Max", she said. "He understood my feelings, my point of view and my fears of Sue Graham."

"That's really great Lisa", he said honestly.

"I went to see her Max, in her quarters. Rick had told her to go there and wait for him after he rescinded the transfer. I told him I'd do it and I did. I voided the transfer and went to her quarters. She was expecting Rick and you should have seen her when I got there Max. She was wearing, well, next to nothing. I told her my position and to stay away from Rick and…well…I punched her." A very miniscule hint of pink graced her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Lisa, but did you say you punched Sue Graham?"

She nodded, and as she confirmed what he thought he had heard her say, a mile wide grin appeared on his face. "This will make Miriya's day", he said happily. "She's been wanting you to do that since she found out Graham kissed Rick in the Sit. Room."

They both laughed which drew the attention of Miriya, who started to come over to see what the joy was about. Lisa said to Max before Miriya arrived, "Rick promised to forget about all of this Max, so don't even mention it to him. Okay?"

Max nodded. "And what is so funny?" Miriya asked directly as she arrived next to Max and Lisa.

"Max will tell you Miriya, I've got to head back." She started walking away but turned to look at her good friends and said, "Good luck you two, and stay safe."

Captains Max and Miriya Sterling came to attention and saluted their commanding officer and their friend. She returned their salutes and resumed her walk off of the hangar deck.

As she was leaving earshot of the couple, she heard Max say, "Miriya, you're not going to believe what Lisa just told me…"

All the way from the hangar deck to the bridge, Lisa had the most wonderful smile on her face.

----------------------------------

Clocks aboard the ship read 1130 hours, and the flight crews, medical personnel, pilots and mock evacuees readied themselves for the Medical Evacuation Drill. Ships were checked and double checked, as though they were attacking the Regis on Earth. Medical personnel were equipped with everything that they would possibly need to treat the wounded, and the dying, in the attack. Pilots did what they always did: try to keep from getting nervous. Every detail was recreated. It was no longer a drill just for medical personnel, it became a dry run for damage control parties, fire control, gunners, and so on. For all intents and purposes, it the hours before an all out attack on the Regis.

Jean Grant was in the infirmary, getting trauma kits and, unfortunately body bags, ready as though it were almost time. Her people were given their orders and their duty station assignments. Before the "evacuations" began in a couple of hours, they would be issued field trauma kits, their comm gear, emergency survival kits, and the works.

Max and Miriya Sterling were still on the hangar deck after going over their planes trying to keep an ordered chaos for the rest of their pilots. It wasn't that hard. They were the senior flight officers and they had trained their pilots well. Besides, their actions spoke volumes, and as they had calmly and meticulously moved about their Alphas, checking the landing gear, the missile mounts, the guns, and everything else, the other pilots saw and emulated them. These were heroes they were watching after all, and if they could be calm and professional, the least everyone else could do was try to be calm as well. Some of them wondered why Miriya couldn't remove the grin from her face.

Rick Hunter was in the Sit. Room, preparing a mock attack plan. A plan of attack had to be followed and the officers decided on a likely scenario in regards to what kind of resistance the Regis and her forces would put up. All of this was done so that they could place the "wounded" in realistic positions on the moon. You could just place "wounded" people in random order, but this way the brass would be able to see an example of what the big picture could possibly look like. Rick took a moment to survey the Sit. Room. People were hurrying along, but not running. People were bent over displays and terminals, some talking to each other concerning their departments and their place in the MED. He became very proud of his people, their professionalism, their determination and their stamina. He almost wished he were going out there instead of being in the Sit. Room. He pushed the thought out of his mind, and out of the organized chaos came only a single worthy thought,_ "Lisa…"_

Lisa Hunter was where she would be as well: on the bridge of her ship. Her responsibilities were awesome and daunting. She commanded the ship, and she was responsible for it's safety and the safety of those aboard her. It was her responsibility to get the ship where it had to be and her responsibility to see the whole story and make sense of it all. More than that, she then had to make sure that all the various facets of the mock attack force and evacuations were coordinated in a timely fashion. She too surveyed her surroundings. The bridge was alive with radio conversations from almost every station aboard ship, coordinating with her people on the bridge. Radar, weapons, engines, defense forces, fighter squadrons were just a few of the stations that were coordinated with the bridge. Just for an instant she tuned it all out and thought of Rick, and the high probability that right now he wished he was looking over an Alpha, getting ready to head out there instead of being stuck in the Sit. Room. She smiled and began listening again.

----------------------------------

At 1330 hours, Rick was getting ready to leave the Situation Room to catch a shuttle heading for the surface of the moon. He gathered his gear together and activated the video conference system, punching up the channel for the command deck.

Lisa appeared on the screen and he automatically smiled. "Hey baby", he said. "I'm getting ready to head down. Are you going to be able to join me?"

He knew by the vexed look she had on her face that she couldn't. 'I would really like to Rick, but there's no chance of getting out of here right now. You go on ahead and take a good look at things.'

He nodded, the disappointment obvious in his body language. "All right Lisa. I'll see you when I get back."

It was her turn to nod. 'Rick…be careful. I can't help but have a strange feeling about all of this. I just…well, please be careful.'

He was going to make some wise crack about always being careful and being indestructible, but the concerned look in her eyes stopped him. "I will Lisa, I promise. I love you."

She smiled and said to him, 'I love you too. See you soon', and with that she broke the connection.

Sighing, Rick headed for the hangar bay to catch his ride down to the moon.

----------------------------------

At 1358 hours, Admiral Lisa Hunter keyed open the ship wide intercom, and finding her most commanding voice said, "All hands, this is Admiral Hunter. In a couple of minutes, we will begin the medical evacuation drill. You all know the purpose of the exercise, and the necessity for it. It's going to be a tough few hours, but I want each and every one of you to know", _"With one exception",_ she thought, "that I have the utmost faith and confidence in you. I have never served with a more talented and professional crew, and it has been my honor to serve with you all. Remember your training and you'll be fine. Watch yourselves out there and good luck to you all. Hunter out."

Her executive officer turned to her and said, "Very nice Admiral."

She said, "Thanks. Let's get the show on the road."

"Yes ma'am", came the response from every bridge officer.

"Begin the drill."

And with that simple command, the Medical Evacuation Drill began in earnest. Alphas shot out of the hangar bays with medical transports following behind them. Medical personnel made last second preparations and waited for the "casualties" to begin arriving.

After an hour of watching the drill on various screens, getting reports and issuing orders, Lisa thought to herself, _"So far, so good."_

----------------------------------

Rick watched two Alphas, one red and one blue, dart around the skies over the moon. If there was any question that the red and blue Alphas were Miriya and Max, it was put to rest by the skill displayed by the pilots flying the Alphas.

Rick sighed and turned his attention to Vince Grant. The gentle giant was bent over a portable tactical display unit. "What's the word Vince?"

Vince stood up, towering over Rick and said, "Not bad Admiral. The tactical scenarios are going as expected, and at almost 3 hours into the drill ninety percent of the mock casualties have been treated either by the field medics or in portable field hospitals. Of that ninety percent, seventy-eight percent has been transported up to the ship."

"That's not bad at all Vince. Very good, as a matter of fact."

He was just reaching for the radio to call Lisa aboard the ship to confirm the numbers when Max broke in over the communications channel.

'Skull … to ground control. …rgency message. Come ….miral Hunter. Repeat. Skull leader…ound control. Emergency … in Admiral Hunter.'

Rick keyed open his mic and said, "Max, you're breaking up. What's going on?"

The reply was static filled. 'Severe electr…oaching. Evacu….ediately.'

"Say again Skull leader. Your message severely garbled", Rick said as he adjusted the settings on the communications console.

"Admiral Hunter…" said Vince.

Rick didn't hear him, he was so intent on trying to raise Max.

Max came through again, a little clearer this time. 'Rick, if you…hear me, evacuate immediate…Severe electromag…storm approaching your posit…the south.'

"Rick…" said Vince. This time he looked at Vince, who was looking at something off into the distance. It took Rick a second to realize that he was looking to the south.

In the distance, was a swirling maelstrom of purple, gray and black clouds, or what looked like clouds. Lightning emanated from the clouds at infrequent but short intervals, and they lit up the clouds and surrounding sky, reaching in all directions as though looking for something to hit. It was moving very fast and according to Max, it was headed for them.

"What in heaven's name is that?" asked Vince in a bewildered voice.

Equally as puzzled as Vince, Rick said, "I'm not sure, but it doesn't look like heaven had much to do with it."

Again, Max came over the communication system, 'Rick get out of there. Moving…fast. Esti…your position in ten minutes. Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate.'

Rick punched up the emergency channel. "All REF forces, break off from the drill and return to the ship immediately. Evacuate the moon at once. I say again, all REF personnel evacuate the moon and return to the ship, now. All transports and support vessels prepare for immediate departure." Rick keyed the equipment to keep playing his message automatically and opened a channel to the ship.

All he got was static.

"Damn. It's interfering with the communications gear." He hoped the word got out about evacuating the moon. He paused for a few seconds to gauge the distance between him and Vince and the approaching electromagnetic storm. It was moving very fast.

Rick saw an Alpha approach the storm. _"What is that fool doing?"_, he said to himself.

He knew it was futile but he still shouted, "Get out of there!"

Even if the pilot had heard him, it was too late. Lightning flashes that looked like dozens of hungry little tongues struck out from the clouds to taste the Alpha and it began to blow apart immediately. The pilot didn't have a chance.

Rick bowed his head and silently cursed. When he looked up Vince was packing up the gear. "Leave it Vince", said Rick. "Let's get out of here while we still can."

They both headed to where the transports were waiting, a few hundred meters from where they were. They were half way to the ships when the edges of the storm approached them. _"It's part of another storm"_, thought Rick absently. _"The storm we saw shouldn't be here yet."_

A bolt of lightning struck the ground between Rick and Vince, sending them both sprawling in different directions, Rick towards Shuttle-5 and Vince towards Shuttle-8. When Rick looked up, Vince was on his way to help him.

"Get going Vince, that's an order. I'll get to the other ship."

Vince nodded and started towards Shuttle-8. Rick got up, noting with regret the discomfort in his left side and headed to Shuttle-5. When he reached the shuttle he looked over to the other shuttle and saw with profound relief that Vince was already aboard and the shuttle door was closed.

Rick moved into the shuttle and went to the pilot, barely registering in his mind that there were three other people sitting in the cabin. He sat in the vacant copilot chair and demanded, "Report Lieutenant."

The flight lieutenant, Lt. Marks reported, "I believe you're the last one sir. We noticed all the other shuttles and transports take off over the last few minutes. With Shuttle-8 leaving now", he pointed out the cockpit window at the other shuttle, which was taking off, " We should be the last one. Communications are out and the dials are starting to go funny. Whatever this is, it sure came on awfully fast."

He hadn't stopped the preflight sequence while he was talking, and barely a second after he finished his report to Rick he said, "We're ready Admiral."

"Get us out of here Lieutenant."

The shuttle lifted off, and as it ascended the wind currents and electrical discharges jostled the shuttle around fiercely. Rick could hear the passengers in the cabin being tossed around and he said, "Hang on back there! It's going to get worse!"

He had just finished speaking when a brutal charge hit the shuttle in the aft section. Immediately alarms and sirens came to life, announcing various dangers and malfunctions.

Rick automatically placed the distress call. "Shuttle-5 to SDF-3. Mayday, mayday, mayday. We have been hit by an electrical surge." He looked at the gauges and knew the cold truth. "We are going down approximately 3 clicks east of lift off position. Shuttle-5 to SDF-3. We have been hit by an electrical surge and are going down about three kilometers east of lift off position. Mayday, mayday, mayday."

For a second he could hear someone trying to respond, and he was certain that the person responding was his wife, but it was too static filled to get anything out of it.

"We're going down!", he announced to the cabin passengers. "Buckle your harnesses and hold on!"

"I'm going to try to set her down over by that ridge sir", Marks said between clenched teeth. "I heard some of the medics say they saw some caves over there, and we may need them."

Rick looked at Marks, admiring his piloting skills, and his last thought before blacking out as the shuttle hit the moon was, _"This kid deserves a medal."_

----------------------------------

"Rick, can you hear me?" Lisa said calmly into the communications headset. She looked at the bridge communications officer and he slowly shook his head, and her heart sank in utter despair and she had to fight off a wave of panic. "Rick, we've plotted your position and we'll get there as soon as possible. Rick, please answer me." Her voice was beginning to falter. She had heard the mayday and seen the blip that represented his shuttle disappear off of the radar screen. It looked as though…

"_No!"_, she screamed at herself. _"Don't you dare think it Lisa. You've got to be strong so you can help him."_

"Captain Forsythe", she said as she got up and walked towards the door, "the bridge is yours." She was gone before he even had a chance to respond.

In a matter of a couple of minutes she reached the hangar deck. Max was already aboard and out of his plane. Miriya was just getting out of hers, and when he saw that she was fine he almost sank to the deck in relief. He saw Lisa coming and asked, "Rick?"

She stopped in front of him and said, with tears in her eyes and trying very hard to keep her voice strong, "His shuttle took some sort of lightning hit." Max's jaw dropped as she continued, "They went down Max, and from the last readings we had, they went down hard."

When Miriya got over to where they were talking, Max already had his flight helmet back on. He gave Miriya a kiss and said to her, "I love you Miriya." To Lisa he said, "Don't worry Lisa, I'll bring him home. Have a shuttle in low orbit at the ready for when I find him."

He climbed back up into his Alpha, and without waiting for instructions or clearance he took off, and as he did, Miriya put her arms around Lisa and said softly, "Not to worry Lisa. In all of my years with Max, I have never seen his face hold such determination. If he says he'll bring Rick home, he will. My Maximillian is the best."

----------------------------------

As Max approached the moon, the SDF-3 furnished him with the last known location, speed and heading of Rick's shuttle, along with an estimation of where the shuttle crashed.

He set a course for that position. _"Right in the heart of this…whatever it is"_, he thought gloomily.

He had never seen anything like it. Winds buffeted Skull One as it approached the estimated crash site, and it was nearly hit several times by electric discharges. The gauges on his console were going crazy because of the electromagnetic interference. His navigational equipment was one of the victims so he had to fly by instinct. He flew to where he thought the shuttle should be. _"There it is!"_ he thought excitedly. The good news was the shuttle appeared to be in one piece. The bad news was there was no immediate sign of survivors.

He was just reaching for the configuration lever to switch to Battloid to take a closer look when one of the electrical discharges hit. The computer spewed out a damage report, indicating severe damage and Max abandoned the Battloid idea and flew upward to get out of the storm. To get out of it, he had to leave the atmosphere and go into space. He radioed the ship.

"Skull leader to SDF-3. Shuttle location confirmed and it appears to be intact."

'We copy Skull leader', came a young male voice. 'Survivors?'

"_To the point",_ thought Max. "Unable to determine. I took a hit from lightning and I'm waiting for the storm to abate to try again."

A different voice came on the channel and he recognized it immediately as Lisa's. 'Negative, Skull leader. Return to the ship.'

"Lisa, Rick is still out there." He couldn't believe she had said that.

'Max, please', she said. He could tell that she was struggling to keep the emotion out of her voice. 'You're not going to be able to do anything in a damaged Alpha. Come back and get repairs.' She hesitated and continued, 'It doesn't look like the storm will pass within the next three hours. Come back Max. The repair crews are waiting and Skull One has priority repair status.'

He could hear the sadness and fear creeping into her voice now. The last thing he wanted to do was argue with her and get her more upset than he knew she was, and realized that what she was saying made sense. "Okay Lisa, I'm heading in. Skull One out."

Max took one more look at the moon and thought as he flew Skull One home, _"Hang on Rick. I'll be back, count on it!"_

----------------------------------

Rick knew the shuttle crashed, and while he still wasn't fully awake, he could feel himself being dragged along the rugged terrain by someone. They had their arms under his shoulders, lifting and pulling the same time. He could also feel something on his lap, and noted vaguely that it was a portable communications console. His left side still hurt, his head was hurting and he couldn't focus or think clearly.

Finally he was laid gently down on a hard surface and he tried to look at the person who had pulled him along. When he opened his eyes, he saw his beloved wife, her long brown hair flowing behind her and her green eyes shining like little stars on her face.

"Lisa?", he said weakly.

After a short hesitation he heard, "I'm here Rick. You took a nasty hit on the head, please rest."

He was totally out of it. Before he even realized what he was doing, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him as he lid on the floor of the cave. "I love you Lisa", he said warmly.

She hesitated again and Rick was worried that she was mad or upset or something, but then she smiled and said, "I love you too."

He pulled her down and kissed her passionately on her lips.

Sue Graham never once thought about stopping him and enjoyed every second of it. She knew that he thought that she was Lisa, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to her was that right now, Rick Hunter was kissing her like she was the love of his life…


	7. Chapter 7

Well, I'm going to give up saying when this story will end because I appear to have no idea. When it's finished I'll let everyone know.

I seem to have surprised some of you with the last chapter, I hope that's a good thing.

Once again, thank you for your reviews and comments.

Full speed ahead…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

_Remember:_

_He pulled her down and kissed her passionately on her lips._

_Sue Graham never once thought about stopping him and enjoyed every second of it. She knew that he thought that she was Lisa, but it didn't matter. All that mattered to her was that right now, Rick Hunter was kissing her like she was the love of his life…_

Rick sat up, and while his head protested adamantly that it was the wrong thing to do his emotions overruled it. He got onto his knees facing her and his kissing became more and more passionate. As far as he was concerned, his hands were on Lisa's face, his lips were kissing his wife's lips and his hands were slowly making their way up and down his wife's back. He worked his hands to the front of her body and he began, ever so slowly to undo her uniform.

He finally had the top part of her uniform undone when a blinding flash erupted in his head. He stopped, closed his eyes and brought his hand up to feel the right side of his forehead. There he discovered a sizable bulge and he vaguely remembered hitting the console in the shuttle when it had crashed. He rubbed it for a second and when he looked up again his vision was cloudy.

"Are you all right Rick?", he heard Lisa's voice say breathlessly.

He answered her by opening her uniform top and pulling it down over her arms, which she then shook off to land on the floor of the cave. He put his hands on her bare shoulders and pulled her into another passionate kiss. He could feel her searching for the way to remove his own uniform when another piercing flash of pain jolted into his head. He squeezed his eyes closed to try and stop the blinding pain, but to no avail.

It didn't last much longer because seconds after he closed his eyes, Rick had the presence of mind to gently lower himself back onto the floor of the cave and his body finally succumbed to the need for sleep, rest and recuperation.

Realizing that everything had stopped, Sue Graham fell back in a heap, almost as dazed as Rick and even more out of breath. She just sat there for a few minutes, unable to move. She knew he was still alive because his chest was going up and down as he breathed; at least it looked that way in the limited light afforded to her by the electrical storm. And she guessed he had a concussion because he thought that she was Lisa and kissed her. She thought to herself,_"And he was going to make..."_

She quivered as she remembered his hands on her body and brought her own fingers up to touch her lips which he had kissed so hard. She suddenly felt a chill and reached with shaking hands to retrieve her uniform top. As she replaced her garment, she recalled bringing the emergency communication console from the shuttle and the backpack. She opened the backpack she had carried to the cave and took out the med kit, water and light. _"That's much better",_ she said when she activated the light.

Still a little overcome by the strong emotions she had just experienced, she staggered to where the communication console was. Forcing herself to focus, she activated the console and opened the emergency frequency.

"This is Lieuten…", she tried but her voice had not yet regained its composure. She cleared her throat and tried again. "This is Lieutenant Sue Graham calling SDF-3. Do you read?" She waited five seconds, and when no response came she said again, "This is Lieutenant Sue Graham calling SDF-3, do you copy?"

Again she waited and again there was no response. Just in case they could hear her she said, "SDF-3, this is Lieutenant Graham on the moon's surface. I have taken refuge in a cave with Admiral Hunter. He requires immediate medical assistance. Please respond."

No response. She stood up and walked towards the cave entrance, but she was still several feet inside the cave and she could see that the electrical storm was still raging on, in fact it didn't look as though it had weakened at all. She decided to go to get the communications console and bring it closer to the mouth of the cave to try to get better reception.

After she did that she tried again. "Lieutenant Sue Graham to SDF-3. I have taken refuge inside a cave on the moon's surface with Admiral Hunter. We are the only survivors of Shuttle-5. Admiral Hunter requires urgent medical assistance. Please respond SDF-3."

When there was still no response several seconds later she activated the emergency locator, then went back to check on Rick.

He was still out cold. She brushed his unruly hair away from his eyes and rubbed her hand across his head searching for injuries. _"That has to hurt",_ she thought as her fingers touched the lump on his forehead. She checked his arms and legs for broken bones, though from his embracing and fondling earlier she suspected he was fine, except for the bump to the head._" At least that appears to the only injury"_, she thought with relief.

She poured some water into the cover of the canteen and placed it at Rick's face, gently letting it spill into his mouth. She then brought the canteen up to her own mouth and took a refreshing swallow of her own. That done, she took a sterile gauze pad from the med kit, soaked it in some of the water and gently rubbed the dirt off of the lump on his forehead. The skin wasn't broken and antiseptic wasn't required.

She sat down and rested her back against the wall of the cave, remembering the emotional fervor she felt a short time ago. It was the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced, and it was tempered only by the knowledge that it wasn't meant for her, but for Lisa Hunter.

----------------------------------

Lisa was in her office looking over the latest reports concerning the storm that had washed over the surface of the moon and had stranded her husband and several others. She didn't know who else was with Rick, the headcount was taking longer than expected. It had been two hours since Rick's shuttle had crashed, and the helplessness that Lisa was feeling ached like nothing ever had before. This latest report said it would be another eight to twelve hours before a window would open to investigate the shuttle. It was more than she could bear.

There was a knock on the door and Captain Forsythe came in. She noted the concern in his voice and was touched deeply by it. "Is there anything I can do Lisa?", he asked her.

She shook her head in response. He looked at her and said, "I have the names of the people that were on the shuttle." He passed her the list and turned to leave.

"Captain", she said. "Thank…"

He held up a hand to stop her. "No need Admiral. Anything you need let me know." He again turned to leave and as he opened the door he looked at her and said, "He's tough Lisa. He'll be back here driving you crazy before you know it."

She smiled and nodded her head.

When he closed the door she looked at the list. There was already one confirmed fatality, an Alpha pilot by the name of Lieutenant Simon Trentwell, whose Alpha was hit by multiple lightning strikes. Max said he was a good pilot and a very good person. Besides Rick, there were four other people in the shuttle. She read their names to herself, _"Lieutenant Scott Marks, Dr. Elisabet Bjorn, Nurse Anne Grady and Lieutenant Sue Grah…"_

Her heart froze in mid beat and refused to start again for a couple of seconds. _"Of all the people on the ship, why her?"_, she thought with despair. She couldn't take it anymore and let loose the wave tears she had tried to stave off for hours now. It was all bad enough, but for Graham to be with him in this time of crisis instead of her was overwhelming. Rick needed her. She was sure of it. She could feel it. He was calling her name and she couldn't go to him.

She leaned back in her chair and hugged herself as if trying to fend off an Arctic cold. _"Oh Rick, what I wouldn't give to have you hold me right now. A piece of me is missing"_, she thought, _"a very important piece and I don't even know if you're okay."_ She shook her head, "_No, he's okay. He's been through too much, we've been through too much for him to die in a shuttle that was hit by lightning."_ Tears were falling out of her eyes, rolling down her cheek and then onto her uniform. She didn't care. She closed her eyes and slowly shook her head and thought of Sue Graham. _"Why her?"_

There was another knock on her door. "Come in", she said. She never bothered to wipe the tears away. She had a right to cry as far as she was concerned.

The door opened and Max came in. He saw the pain and fear in her face and the tears were leaving little wet streams going down her cheeks. But what disturbed Max the most were her eyes. From the very first day that he had seen Lisa Hunter years ago, when she was Lt. Commander Hayes and the First Officer of the SDF-1, he thought that she had the most beautiful green eyes. They were always sparkling, whether he saw her on the bridge, in Macross or in a meeting. That hadn't changed over the years, in fact there were many times in the last few years when he had thought that her eyes just kept getting brighter and more beautiful. It didn't matter if times were good or bad, they just glowed.

But when he looked at her sitting behind her desk, her eyes didn't sparkle. They were hollow and almost lifeless, as though the light that was the source for their sparkle had been extinguished. His heart pained at the sight of her dull eyes.

He went to stand beside her and he put his right hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, as if noticing for the first time that she wasn't alone in her office. She saw the heart breaking concern in his eyes and she threw her arms around him cuddling her face into his stomach, and as she cried, Max kept his left hand on her right shoulder and began caressing her head with his right hand, trying to be as reassuring as he could.

When he spoke, he spoke as confidently as he could. "It's going to be okay Lisa. He's going to be okay. You can't give up."

Still sobbing she said, "I haven't given up Max. I just can't stand not knowing…" As she thought about what she was going to say a new wave of tears and fear hit her. _"…If he's okay or if he's hurt."_

Knowing what she was thinking, Max backed away from her enough to kneel down in front of her. He took her hands in his and held them on her lap, and with as much assurance as he could instill in his voice and light blue eyes he said, "Rick Hunter is too stubborn, too smart and too much in love with his wife to die Lisa. Do you hear me?"

She looked at him and managed a tiny smile. "It's so hard Max." As she shook her head she continued, "And on top of everything else, Sue Graham was on the shuttle too."

"I know Lisa, I know." It was the reason he stopped supervising the repairs on his plane to come and see her. He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze and stood up. "With your permission, I'm going to head out when the repairs are finished on my Alpha and see the storm for myself. When I get in orbit, I'll try the communication system too. They may be trying to reach us from the shuttle but can't get through the interference."

"How much longer for the repairs to Skull One?", asked Lisa.

He replied, "About another hour. That lightning was potent stuff. It fried a lot of the electrical system. You should have heard the curses coming out of the chief when he saw the damage."

"An hour?", she said. After a second's hesitation inspiration struck and she said, "I have a better idea Max." She picked up the intercom headset and dialed the number for the hangar deck.

"Chief Roberts, this is Admiral Hunter. Please ready a shuttle for launch…"

----------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, Max was sitting at the controls of Shuttle-1, going through the startup sequence. After finishing he said into the headset, "Shuttle-1 to flight control. We're ready to go."

'Roger that Captain', came the response. 'Stand by. '

Max looked at his copilot and asked, "Are you sure about this Lisa?"

"Not really", she said honestly. "But I can't just sit down and wait anymore. I've got to do something."

He could understand how she felt. He was pretty sure that if Miriya were missing he would go mad if he couldn't help to find her.

'Flight control to Shuttle-1. You're clear for launch Captain Sterling. Good luck and Godspeed.'

"Thank you flight control. Launching…now!"

Seconds later they were in space. Max called up the navigational information to punch into the computer. He set a course that would place them into a tight orbit of the moon, with the insertion point being above where he had earlier discovered the crashed shuttle.

Lisa was getting the communication system ready so that when they were close enough they could give it a try.

They approached the moon and their orbital insertion point and Max thought to himself, _"The storm looks just as bad now as it did the last time I was here."_ But he wasn't going to tell that to Lisa.

They achieved their tight orbit as planned, directly over the crash site, at least as best as they could tell because the instruments were still being scrambled by the electromagnetic interference, even in orbit.

Lisa looked at Max and took a deep breath. "Shuttle-1 to Shuttle-5, please respond."

She waited, but there was no response. She tried again. "Shuttle-1 calling Shuttle-5, please come in."

She cast a worried look at Max and he looked at her and calmly said, "It could just be the interference Lisa. Keep trying."

"Shuttle-1 to Shuttle-5, please respond…"

----------------------------------

Almost two hours after Rick first passed out, Sue checked him over. His breathing was strong and steady and he didn't seem to be in any discomfort. She just finished off an emergency field ration when she thought she heard voices.

For a second she thought she was going insane, but she quickly realized that the voices were coming from the communication console.

She rushed to it and began fiddling with the dials to get better reception and after a few attempts she was rewarded.

She heard a voice over the channel, a voice that she recognized as belonging to Lisa Hunter. 'Shuttle-1 to Shuttle-5, please respond.'

Sue opened the channel and spoke urgently. "Admiral Hunter. This is Lieutenant Graham. The shuttle crashed and was severely damaged. Admiral Hunter and I are the only survivors and we have taken refuge inside a cave not far from the shuttle."

She hesitated, but only for a second. "Admiral Hunter was hurt. He took a bad blow to the head when the shuttle crashed and it looks like he has a pretty bad concussion. He passed out not long after getting inside the cave. He needs medical assistance."

She waited for a reply. She wasn't sure if the pause was because the channels were being interfered with by the storm, or because Lisa was trying to assimilate all the information.

----------------------------------

The emotions going through Lisa now were so strong and mixed that the only thing that kept her from closing her eyes and screaming was the fact that her husband was hurt and he needed her.

After Graham had finished her report Lisa said in a professional voice, "Understood Lieutenant. The storm is still extremely active in your area, but we have gotten enough of a signal to pinpoint your location. Captain Sterling and I are in a shuttle in tight orbit around the moon and will attempt to land as soon as there is an opening. You're going to have to be ready. When we land we won't have much time."

Tears filled her eyes and she asked with dread in her voice, "Sue… how bad is he?"

Her reply was, 'I think he'll be okay Admiral. I can't find any other injuries and he was awake and…talking to me before he passed out.'

Lisa wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "We'll be there soon Lieutenant. Hang tight and keep this channel open."

'Understood Admiral.'

She took a deep breath and released it, trying to calm herself down a little.

"Lisa, does that look like a break in the storm to you?", asked Max.

She looked at the radar screen but couldn't tell anything by it. It was a jumble of images and echoes caused by interference.

"No", said Max when he realized that she looked at the radar. He pointed below at the surface of the moon near where the shuttle was and asked, "There, do you see it?"

She did. It almost looked like what the eye of a hurricane would look like. There was a nearly peaceful and untouched spot about a kilometer wide in the middle of the purplish gray-black swirling mass of cloud and lightning, and it was almost on top of Shuttle-5.

"Go Max!", she exclaimed.

Max took the shuttle into a short steep climb and when he reached the apex of the climb he dropped the nose of the shuttle down and aimed right for the middle of the break and punched the throttle forward.

As the shuttle streaked into the eye of the storm, Lisa said into the communication headset, "Lieutenant Graham! We're coming in and we're coming in fast. Stand ready."

Graham's reply came back, 'Standing by Admiral.'

As the shuttle approached the eye, the storm almost as though sensing the shuttle's approach belched out bolt after bolt of lightning towards Shuttle-1, but Max managed to evade all of them and maintain his course into the eye. Even the winds seem to pick up, and when Lisa finally got up the nerve to steal a glance at Max his arms were shaking as they held the controls in place, trying to maintain their course.

Finally the winds and lightning eased as the entered the eye of the storm.

"We're approaching the shuttle now Lieutenant. Start moving!"

Max brought the shuttle in for a fast emergency landing a short distance from Shuttle-5. He powered down the shuttle, afraid that the power emanations and active power systems would attract lightning strikes and he was just unfastening his safety harness when he heard Lisa open the shuttle door.

He jumped up and caught up to her just outside the shuttle. The electricity in the air was palpable. Lisa and Max could feel it touching their skin, making the little hairs on the back of their necks stand up straight. "We're not going to have long Max. The edge of the eye is already almost here."

Max nodded and looked around. "The signal was coming from that ridge over there."

They both looked at the ridge and Max caught sight of Graham waving her arms.

He pointed and exclaimed, "There!"

He and Lisa bolted towards Graham and arrived next to her seconds later.

"Are you all right Lieutenant?", asked Max.

"I'm okay Captain. But we really need to go."

Max turned to look at Lisa, but she had already gone inside the cave.

Max followed her and found Lisa kissing Rick's forehead.

"Lisa", he said urgently. "We have to go. Help me get him up so I can carry him."

Lisa sat Rick up and Max grabbed both his hands, pulled him up into a standing position as Lisa held onto him, and as Rick doubled over forward Max moved his right shoulder into Rick's midsection and lifted him onto his shoulder.

"Let's go!", Max yelled.

Max, carrying Rick, Lisa and Sue moved quickly towards the shuttle. They were within ten meters of the shuttle when the storm unleashed several electrical discharges in the direction of the two shuttles.

The blue-white streaks slammed into Shuttle-5 like missiles, and the shuttle reacted as though it were missiles that had hit it. The explosion of the shuttle was enormous and Max, Lisa and Sue had to duck and dodge to avoid getting hit by flying debris. Lisa made it to the shuttle first and opened the door for Max. He went inside and placed Rick into one of the passenger seats in the cabin.

"Look after him Lisa", he said. "Lieutenant, you're with me", and he headed to the cockpit. Lisa was strapping Rick into the seat and didn't notice Graham hesitate by Rick's side and look at him.

Graham heard Max start up the shuttle and she went up into the cockpit, took the copilot's seat and buckled up.

"All right", said Max, already belted in. "The board is green. You all set back there Lisa!", he called.

"Let's get out of here Max", came Lisa's reply as she fastened her own safety harness.

The shuttle lifted off the ground and was immediately slammed back down by the strong downward winds. "No damage", Max reported to everyone. He worked the controls, his hands moving like a magician's and said, "Let's try that again."

Again, the shuttle lifted off and the winds came down, but this time Max was ready and compensated for the downward push by increasing the power in the upward thrust. The engines strained and Lisa thought they were going to explode, so loud was the noise coming from the engine compartment. But they didn't.

Max brought the shuttle up through the center of the eye, wanting to avoid the edges and giving any lightning that tried to strike them as far to travel as possible. And try it did. Several streaks of lightning passed in front of them, below them and above them.

Max looked ahead and noticed with dismay that the opening of the eye had narrowed considerably while they were on the moon. When they entered the eye the opening was a kilometer wide, but now it was just barely wide enough for the shuttle to get through.

Thinking ahead and realizing the possibilities, Max told Graham, "Get on the radio to the ship. Tell them we've got you and are approaching our escape point, but it looks like we may need help."

She did as he said and the SDF-3 moved to assist them by dispatching a force of two Alphas and a maintenance shuttle under the command of Miriya Sterling.

Shuttle-1 got closer and closer to the opening of the eye, and the eye itself got narrower and narrower as they went upward. _"Going to be a very tight squeeze"_, he thought with some macabre amusement.

"Hang on Lieutenant", he said to Graham and then louder to Lisa, "Hold on Lisa, we're about to punch through!"

He gunned the engines for all they were worth as they approached the opening. They passed through and were about to start celebrating when the shuttle rocked with a collision. Max slammed into the port bulkhead while Graham was jolted to her left.

"Lightning hit!", Max yelled. For the second time in a few hours Max heard a computer give him a damage report that was caused by a lightning hit. It was bad the first time in his Alpha and even worse the second time in the shuttle.

"I have to shut down the engines or they'll blow", he yelled over the noise of alerts, sirens and computer reports.

Graham thought it was worth pointing out, "I don't think we're clear of the atmosphere Captain."

Max gave her a knowing look then started shutting down non-essential systems and the engines. "I'm hoping we're close enough for our momentum to get us out, Lieutenant."

The shuttle slowed its ascent and came to a stop. It just stayed stationary for a moment and they could actually see the maintenance shuttle a short distance away standing ready to assist them. They were beginning to think that they had made it when the shuttle seemed to be getting smaller. A second later they realized that the rescue shuttle wasn't getting smaller, they were moving backwards. Max was trying to get some response when again the shuttle was hit from behind, jolting them all in a backward motion.

Max straightened up and said in complete astonishment, "We're moving… forward?" He couldn't understand it and Graham was totally lost.

'Need a lift Maximillian?', asked a very familiar voice over the communication net.

Max craned his neck around to the left to look out the shuttle's port window and could just see the very top of the head of a Battloid.

"Miriya!", he exclaimed.

Graham did the same out the starboard window and saw pretty much the same as Max.

Miriya and her wingman, Lt. Elliot had seen the shuttle take the hit and they had moved in to render any assistance they could. When they saw that Max had cut power to the engines, they switched to Battloid mode and grabbed the shuttle on both sides and engaged their own thrusters at maximum thrust. Miriya was sure that the Alphas would emit enough thrust to lift the shuttle out of the atmosphere since they were so close to it anyway.

At least, she was fairly sure the Alphas would have enough thrust.

It was déjà vu for Lisa and Max. It was reminiscent of the time that Lisa and Vermillion group escaped a Zentraedi ship in a Battle Pod, and Veritechs from the Skull in Battloid configuration grabbed the Battle Pod and pushed them to the SDF-1.

He couldn't really see her but said anyway, "Boy are you a sight for sore eyes."

The shuttle's forward momentum continued and a second later they were clear of the atmosphere. The Battloids kept a hold of the shuttle and headed towards the SDF-3.

Not having anything to do Max got up out of his seat to check on Rick and Lisa. Lisa was out of her seat kneeling beside Rick, who was still unconscious. She was holding his hands on his lap and was talking very softly to him. When she realized Max was approaching she stopped and got up to give Max a very grateful hug.

"Thank you Max", she said with heart-warming sincerity.

He leaned back to look at her and said, "I told you I would do anything for you two."

She laughed, released him and knelt down beside Rick again.

"How is he?", Max asked her.

Lisa replied, "I'm not sure Max. We need to get him to Jean."

"A couple of more minutes Lisa, we're almost there. We've radioed ahead to have a med team standing by on the hangar deck."

Lisa smiled at him, the first time in hours that she had a reason to smile at anyone. It did his heart good to see it, and the relief that was evident on her face. Then he noticed something that gave him great cause for relief and celebration: Lisa's eyes. The sparkle that was missing while Rick was on the moon and that Max had missed so terribly had returned. He smiled and as he moved back into the cockpit and as he took his seat he thought, _"Brighter than ever."_

Lisa took Rick's hands in hers and brought them up to he heart. "Can you hear me Rick?", she asked.

When he didn't respond her emotions overwhelmed her and she began to sob. She put his hands down by his side and laid her head on his lap, crying away.

"It's okay Lisa", she heard someone say. "Really, I'm going to be okay."

"Rick!", she exclaimed as she looked up.

He had a smile on his face, and though his eyes were still closed he said, "I'm tired Lisa, but don't worry I'll be okay…"

----------------------------------

A couple of minutes later Max opened the shuttle door and got out of the way as the medial team entered the shuttle with Jean Grant in the lead. She was asking Graham all sorts of questions, which she readily answered, except the question about any physical exertion Rick did after the crash. She stumbled on that one, and it wasn't lost on Max.

They left with Rick on a stretcher and took him the infirmary with Lisa following behind them. Graham was about to head to her quarters, she assumed she wouldn't be welcomed in the infirmary, when Max took her arm and guided her to a remote part of the hangar. After making sure no one was close enough to hear he asked, "What happened in that cave Lieutenant?"

It took Sue by surprise, and when she hesitated he continued, "I hope nothing happened Lieutenant. If something did, it would upset someone very close to me, and that would be a very bad thing." He folded his arms on his chest and gave her an icy stare. "So Lieutenant, what happened in that cave?"

She looked at him and said, "Nothing happened sir."

Max gave her a cold look and said, "Dismissed Lieutenant." And with that Graham headed for her quarters. He watched her go and knew something had happened, but right now it was important for him to be there for Lisa. He would worry about Graham later.

He went to the infirmary and found Lisa waiting outside a room for word from Jean about Rick's condition. Max put his arm around her and she rested her weary head on his shoulder. A few moments later Miriya rushed in. Max released Lisa and Miriya threw her arms around him and he picked her up and twirled her around saying, "There's my Quadrano in shining armor." He kissed her, put her down and said solemnly, "Thank you partner."

She put her hand on his cheek and said honestly, "Anytime, Maximillian, anytime." She looked at him and asked in a whispered voice, "Rick?" Max shrugged his shoulders.

Miriya walked over to Lisa and gave her a hug. "He is strong Lisa. He will be fine."

"Thank you Miriya, for that, for everything", Lisa said.

Miriya looked at Lisa, locking her own green eyes onto Lisa's. "No thanks are necessary Lisa. You and Rick, you are my closest friends. And friends help each other, as you have proved many times over the years by helping me." The honesty with which Miriya uttered those words moved Lisa deeply, and she couldn't help but hug Miriya again.

A few minutes passed and Lisa was about to go in when Jean emerged from the room.

"He has a very large lump on his head, as I'm sure you noticed, caused by a very unfortunate meeting with a shuttle console. As a result, he has a severe concussion. He'll probably be drifting in and out of consciousness for a few more hours and we'll keep him here for observation, but he'll be fine Lisa", she said, and almost had to catch Lisa as the relief washed over her and her knees buckled.

"Lisa!", she exclaimed. Jean and Max eased her into a chair that was brought over by Miriya.

"I'm okay", said Lisa after a moment. She stood up, her strength returned and asked Jean in a voice that said she was not going to be stopped, "Can I see him?"

"Of course. As a matter of fact Admiral", Jean smiled and said with mischief in her eyes, "he's asking to see you."

Lisa's jaw dropped and she ran into the room, leaving Max, Miriya and Jean behind with happy smiles on their faces.

She went to his bedside and just looked at him, grateful that she could now do that much. He was in a sitting position and his eyes were closed, so she reached over and gently kissed his lips. When she straightened up and looked at him again he had a smile on his face, and he said as he opened his eyes, "Hey baby, how are you doing?"

She laughed. "I think that should be my question to you."

"I'll live", he said, "or at least I think that's what Jean told me. It was kind hard to hear her with the jackhammer going off inside my head."

They shared a laugh together and she reached over and kissed him again. She started to pull away after a few seconds, not wanting to excite him too much, but he brought his hand up behind her head to stop her from leaving their blissful kiss.

When they did break, he looked at her and saw the relief in her eyes, and he felt compelled to reassure her that he was okay. "I'm going to be fine. I'm not going anywhere."

Tears welled up in her green eyes and she sat on the bed next to him. He put his right arm around her and as she cuddled into his chest she started to cry. She couldn't stop, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

"Don't you ever do anything like that to me ever again", she managed in between sobs.

Rick opened his mouth to say that he wouldn't but decided to try to cheer her up instead. He gave her a comforting squeeze and said playfully, "You told me to go take a good look at things. I think the evacuation protocol needs work."

She looked up at him appalled that he appeared to be blaming her for this, and seeing the smile on his face said, "You rat!"

He kissed her forehead and said laughing, "Stop teasing me, I'm injured." Getting serious he continued, "It was no one's fault Lisa. That storm caught everyone by surprise. It moved so fast."

He reached up to hold his head as another sharp pain came into force.

Lisa looked at him and said worriedly, "Rick, what's wrong?"

She got up to go and get Jean but he stopped her by saying, "Lisa, please don't leave me."

She stopped and turned to look at him, his blue eyes asking her to stay as much as his voice had. She came back and lid down beside him. He held her tightly and asked a little tiredly, "How is everyone else?"

Lisa didn't answer his question, but said instead, "We'll talk about it tomorrow Rick. You need to rest right now."

"That kid, Marks, he's a hell of a pilot. Saved our lives. He deserves a medal."

Lisa looked at Rick, who had his eyes closed on his way to sleep.

"I love you Lisa", he said full of tenderness. "In the cave, you saved me when I kissed you…" And he was out.

"_In the cave?"_ she thought, puzzled. _"He must have been dreaming."_

But the thought would have to wait, because she too needed sleep and not long after he fell asleep, she joined her husband in peaceful slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

Adena: That seems to be the way it's going. I think everything is wrapped up and a new idea pops in there.

Thanks everyone for your reviews. Please keep them coming, good and bad. I appreciate them all.

All ahead full, apparently…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Sue Graham was heading for her quarters after her rescue from the moon and Sterling's question and comments haunted her as she walked the corridors.

'_I hope nothing happened Lieutenant. If something did, it would upset someone very close to me, and that would be a very bad thing', _he had said.

Max Sterling had the reputation of being the best pilot in the REF, even one of the greatest pilots of all time. He had more flying time and combat missions punched than anyone else, and his kill ratio was unsurpassed. When he was in a Veritech, and later an Alpha, he was a fighting machine.

For all of that though, he also had the reputation of being an easygoing and mild mannered person outside of an aircraft. He never yelled or lost his temper and patience appeared to be his virtue. He never had a bad word to say about anyone and he was very helpful to anyone who needed help. Of course, he was fiercely loyal to his family and friends.

So when Max Sterling looked at her in the hangar deck with blue eyes as cold as the polar ice caps, it worried her.

"_It's not like anything really happened anyway"_, she thought regretfully. _"He thought he was with Lisa, not me."_

She opened the door to her cabin and entered, closing and locking it behind her. As she headed for the shower she began taking off her dirty uniform. When she had removed her clothes she turned on the shower and allowed the hot water to massage her bruises and strained muscles.

'…_that would be a very bad thing', _was all she kept hearing. She shook her head and after turning off the water, got out of the shower and into her robe.

She sat on the edge off her bed and brushed out her raven locks.

As she brushed her hair she remembered those cold eyes of Max Sterling and realized, with a shiver going down her spine, that she didn't want to make an enemy of him.

----------------------------------

Lisa woke up a couple of hours after falling asleep beside Rick and moved to the large well-padded chair next to his bed so that he could be more comfortable in the small bed. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, and she wasn't in it very long before she dozed off again. She didn't dream as such, but various thoughts and memories of Rick entered her mind. Like the day that Roy was born, and the look of awe and pride on Rick's face. The day he told her that he loved her for the very first time on that terrible day in New Macross. The night they were together intimately for the very first time. Of course, she also thought of the times to come.

She woke up and looked at the clock. Though it seemed as though she were asleep for only a couple of minutes in the chair, several hours had actually passed. She stood up, raised her arms above her head and stretched out the kinks she had in her back and neck. She brought her arms down and moved to the view port to see two Alphas fly by. She realized that she was still in her flight suit, dirt and sweat staining it in several places. She had decided that she couldn't leave Rick alone, not even long enough to go clean up and change. The night nurse was thoughtful enough to bring in some cloths, some soap and a basin of water so she could tidy up a bit.

She leaned her back against the window and looked at him sleeping in the bed. He had a restless night for the most part. Every once in a while he mumbled something, but she couldn't make out what any of it was, except for a couple of times when she could pick out her name. She was happy that he was thinking of her as she was thinking of him. Even sleeping, they were always on each other's minds.

She silently walked over to his bed and looked down at him. She was so worried at the pain he was in and had gone through. _"My darling Rick"_, she thought as she smiled and gently stroked his cheek with her hand. _"I don't know what I would do without you. How could I live without you? I have loved you for so long that I don't know anything else. I don't want to know anything else."_

He turned his head sharply and startled her, making her quickly remove her hand. _"He's dreaming"_, she thought. He started to slowly move his head back and forth and mumble something, and it was obvious that whatever he was dreaming about was distressing to him.

"No", he moaned, and Lisa decided to wake him up.

----------------------------------

He was in the cave kissing his wife in the dull light, touching her everywhere on her exquisite body, feeling her touch him everywhere and loving her. She was saving his life by doing this, he was certain of it. His body and soul were hurting and she was healing them, with her presence and her love for him. He opened his eyes to look at her. Her precious green eyes were emitting their usual radiant glow and her smile was captivating. When she spoke to him she was out of breath from their kissing and anticipation of what was going to happen next. "I love you Rick", she said.

He went to kiss her beautiful lips again when a brilliant flash of lightning from the storm outside momentarily lit up the cave, and for that second he saw Sue Graham in front of him, not his wife. He closed his eyes and shook his head, and when he looked at her again, the low light had returned and Lisa was before him, waiting patiently for him to resume what he was doing. Again he moved closer to kiss her. He had her face in his hands and again a bright flash of lightning illuminated the cave, this time for a little longer. Her hair was black not brown, her eyes hazel not emerald green and her facial features were all wrong.

He let go of her face and fell back away from her, landing hard on the solid floor of the cave. When she spoke to ask him what was wrong it was Lisa's voice he heard, the voice he always heard when she was concerned about him. He was about to tell her what was happening but she interrupted him, asking again if he was feeling okay. As she spoke there was another flash of lightning and this time, besides changing just her appearance it changed her voice as well. "Rick, are you…", asked Lisa, then the flash of bright white and Sue Graham finished, "…feeling okay?"

His eyes opened wider than he thought was possible with fright and confusion. He brought his hand up to the tender spot on his forehead and the pain reverberated throughout his body. "No", he said painfully.

When he looked up he was seeing double through the pain…sort of. Instead of seeing two Lisas, he saw one Lisa to the left and one Sue Graham to the right. It didn't make any sense and his puzzlement deepened and deepened. He blinked his eyes to try to get them to focus on Lisa, but much to his dismay, as his vision cleared and the images of the two women merged together, it wasn't his wife that came into focus, but Sue Graham.

Again he brought his hands up to his head as if to keep it from exploding with the pain and he screamed, "Lisa…!"

"Rick!", he heard her say in an alarmed voice in the distance.

Everything was going white and the vision of Sue Graham was leaving. "Lisa!", he cried out again, terrified that Lisa had left him.

"I'm here Rick, it's okay", her voice was calm and soothing now, and very close to him.

He opened his eyes to see her worried face looking down at him. She had her right hand on his chest and the other on the top of his head, trying desperately to calm him.

His eyes were moving around, trying to figure out where he was. It was bright, not dark, and he was lying down on a soft medical bed, not the hard floor of the cave. _"Not the cave"_, he thought with immense relief, and as the realization hit him he totally relaxed and sank into the infirmary bed.

Lisa said as soothingly as she could, "It's okay Rick, you're in the infirmary. You're safe, and you're going to be fine."

"_Am I?"_, thought Rick, not so sure. He looked at Lisa, and brought his right hand up to his chest to hold her hand. When he took her hand he was still unsure if it was hers and he held it tightly. She was looking at him with a very worried expression and he then knew with absolute certainty that it was really her.

Only Lisa could possibly look that worried about him.

He smiled at her and said, "I'm okay Lisa. It was just a dream, a bad dream."

She reached with her left hand, picked up a cloth from the table next to his bed and wiped the sweat off of his brow, carefully avoiding the bruised lump. "About the crash?", she asked.

"I'm not sure Lisa. It was so strange."

He looked at her and noticed that she was still in a flight suit, and she looked very tired. "How long have I been out? Have you been here all night?", he asked, worried about her.

She put the cloth back on the table and kissed his cheek. "The answer to question one is you've been asleep for almost ten hours. It's almost ten in the morning." She brought his hand that was holding hers up and gave it a tender kiss. As she lowered it back onto his chest she said quietly, "In answer to your second question, there was no way that I was going to leave you here alone."

He didn't know what to say to her. There were no words to show his gratitude, his appreciation or his love for her. Everything he thought of never even came close to articulating his feelings for her.

He tried to say something, but she stopped him by saying, "I love you Rick Hunter. I am right where I am supposed to be, where I need to be and where I want to be. I wasn't leaving, and I know it would be the same way for you if I were in that bed."

This time he brought her hand up to his lips to kiss. He then held her hand to his cheek, closed his eyes reveling in her closeness and said seriously, "Nothing would stop me from being by your side." He looked up at her, his eyes watery and said in a hushed voice, "I love you so much."

She bent down and softly kissed his lips, and as she did his eyes closed and the tears that had gathered in his blue eyes fell down his cheeks.

She stopped their kiss and looked at him and asked, "Is there anything wrong, Rick?"

"Not while you're with me", he said.

She sat on his bed, facing him. "Well then", she said happily, "there will never be anything wrong, will there?"

She smiled her lovely smile and her green eyes glittered. He loved it when she did that.

"Lisa", he said. "What about the other people on the shuttle? Besides Marks I don't even know who else was there. I mean, I noticed when I headed for the cockpit that there were three people in the cabin, but I never noticed who they were."

Lisa had been waiting for that. She had been a part of the night trying to figure out an easy way to tell him that everyone except him and Graham hadn't made it. The only thing she could come up with was to tell him the whole truth. He deserved it.

"Rick", she began quietly, "there was Lt. Marks, Dr. Bjorn, Nurse Grady and…well…Sue Graham. Rick, only you and Graham made it. I'm so sorry."

"No", he whispered. "It can't be true." He could see by the pain in her eyes as she nodded that it was, and a tidal wave of sorrow engulfed him. "Any other casualties?"

She nodded. "Lt. Trentwell. His Alpha was hit by lightning and exploded. He didn't make it either."

He remembered seeing that. He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head in a mixture of anger, sadness, disbelief and loss. He thought,_ "I should have done something, been able to help them. I should have gotten them out sooner. I should have realized the danger. I should have trusted Max and reacted to his warning. I should have…"_

"It wasn't your fault Rick", Lisa said forcefully, as if reading his mind. She had been waiting for that as well. She knew Rick would feel responsible, it was in his nature to help and come to the rescue. And when he couldn't, he felt responsible for it. "You said it earlier, it came on so fast and was so strong, there was nothing that could be done. Rick, no one is to blame for this."

"I know you're right Lisa…"

"That's a first", she said playfully.

He smiled and continued, "But it doesn't make it any easier."

Lisa smiled the warmest smile and said tenderly, "You wouldn't be the wonderful man and the respected leader that you are if it was easy for you Rick." She lovingly squeezed his hand that she was still holding and said, "You wouldn't be the man I fell in love with either. The man I grew to love more than anything. The man I love now with all of my heart and soul."

He looked at her and told her what he had thought a minute earlier. "I don't know how to tell you how much I love you Lisa. There are no words to describe it."

"I feel the same way Rick", she said, and then she leaned down and kissed him again.

They heard the door open and then heard Max say with amusement, "Oooppps. I'm sorry I must be in the wrong room. I thought there was a comatose guy I used to fly with in here. Bye."

"Max!", they both yelled.

He poked his head in around the door and with a sheepish grin said, "I'm sorry you two."

"Come on in Max. Don't worry about it. When I get out of here there will plenty of time for me to kiss my beautiful wife."

Max laughed as he walked in. He gave Lisa a hug and moved to Rick's bedside. "How are you feeling Boss?", he said. "That was one heck a knock you took and one hell of a scare you gave us."

"Better, thanks in large part to you."

"Well", said Max modestly, "I did what I had to do, what you would have done for me. So don't mention it ever again. Okay Boss?"

Rick held out his hand. Max gladly took it and the two friends shook on it.

A nurse came into the room and addressed Lisa. "Admiral", she said, "Captain Forsythe sends his compliments and asks you to give him a call when you have a chance. He said it wasn't urgent."

Rick sensed the opportunity and took it. "Go ahead Lisa. You need a break. Max will keep me company for a while."

Noticing the look in Rick's eyes, Max sat down in the chair and said, "Absolutely. Skull One is still out of commission, so I don't have a lot to do. The chief ran into so many problems with the electrical system that I was afraid he'd start yelling at me…again, or worse get me to help."

Lisa kissed Max on the cheek and said, "Thanks Max, I could use a shower and a fresh uniform." She reached down and kissed Rick. She looked at him and said, "I'll do that, see what Forsythe wants and be back as soon as I can. I love you."

When she got to the door he said lightheartedly, "Don't miss me too much baby."

She rolled her eyes and said, "You rat", and left.

Rick looked at Max in the chair by his bed and said, "I really wish she would stop teasing me like that."

The two good friends shared a laugh, and when it died down Max looked at Rick and said, "What's on your mind Rick?"

Rick knew he could count on Max to sense that he needed to talk to him. It was one of the things that made him the best friend he could have.

"What happened Max? I don't remember what happened after the crash."

Max explained to him what he knew. "Apparently, after you crashed Graham pulled you out of the shuttle and into the cave. She activated the emergency locator and communication console and tried to contact the ship with no luck. When Lisa and I got restless and brought a shuttle into orbit, she heard our calls." He went on to explain in detail the landing on the moon, his rescue, the flight off of the moon, Miriya's actions and the rest.

"I really don't know how to thank…"

"We already took care of that Rick. I meant what I said", said Max in a warning tone.

"Okay old buddy", Rick said in surrender.

He hesitated and Max knew there was something else. "Max, what do you know about what happened in the cave?"

The question caught Max by surprise. "I…well…nothing really. Only the little tidbits I got from Graham as she answered Jean's questions in the shuttle. Why do you ask?"

"What questions?", asked Rick.

"I don't know Rick. When you passed out, how you were feeling, were you talking, did you do anything physically exerting. That was the only question she had trouble with. It's almost like she wasn't sure what to say." He saw the wheels turning inside Rick's head and asked, "What are you thinking Rick?"

Lost in thought, Rick replied, "Nothing."

"Rick, come on. What's the problem?" Max noticed Rick's distance and thought to himself with annoyance, _"Graham."_

Rick looked at the door to make sure it was closed and said in a hushed voice, "I had a dream this morning and I don't know what to make of it." He told Max his dream in detail.

Max wasn't sure what to make of it either. "It's probably just the concussion Rick. Don't get yourself worked up over it."

"But what if there is more to it Max? What if something happened and I…"

The door opened and in walked Dr. Jean Grant. "How's my favorite patient?", she said cheerfully.

Rick looked at her and said, "I'm fine Jean. When can I get out?"

She laughed. "You must be feeling better", she said.

Jean started going over Rick with a fine tooth comb. Using her penlight, she checked his pupils. Then she checked his blood pressure, listened to his heart and his lungs, checked his reflexes and finally, checked he lump on his head.

"How do you feel Rick?", she asked, watching him for any signs of fibbing.

He looked at her and flashed his best boyish smile. "I feel fine Jean, really."

She ignored the smile. "Any nausea?"

"Nope."

"Dizziness? Blurred vision? Vomiting? Headaches? Would you tell me if you did?"

"No, no, no, just where I hit the console and I absolutely would."

"You're sense of humor and memory are intact, and that's as good a sign as any." She looked at his chart. "If the tests come back okay this afternoon and you promise to be a good little Admiral and stay in your quarters away from work and stress, I'll spring you before dinner."

Rick almost jumped out of bed, but the stern look on Jean's face stopped him cold.

"I'm warning you Rick. I usually wouldn't let someone with a concussion leave here so soon and I'm doing you a favor. If you so much as…"

"All right Jean, I promise I'll be good. I'm not going to do anything that could possibly jeopardize my being with my wife tonight in our own quarters."

Max leaned back and said with a grin, "Ah, that's my boy."

All three of them laughed and Jean looked at Rick.

"Good", she said. She looked again at the lump on his head. "That's going to be tender for a while. The nurse will be bringing in some icepacks a little later. Use them." She headed for the door and said, "I'm going to say tentatively that you can go home this evening. But remember what I said. If I find out that you've been working or fooling around I'll have you back in here so fast…"

"I promise to be good Jean", he interrupted.

"Right. Just to be sure I better tell Lisa, too", she said.

She opened the door and started to leave, but stopped when she heard him ask, "Jean, are weird dreams common with this type of thing?"

She looked at him concerned and said, "What kind of weird dreams?"

"It was something really strange. I don't remember it exactly, but I can remember it was weird." He didn't want her to know that his dream concerned Lisa and Sue Graham.

She thought for a second. "Yes, sometimes dreams can occur. You should know about that as well as anyone. As I recall you had some pretty interesting visions when you were shot down over the Pacific many moons ago." She thought about it some more and continued, "It could also be memories. Where you had a concussion you may have been fading in and out of consciousness, so you could be remembering bits and pieces, with your subconscious filling in the blanks. There's also the possibility that it could be a combination of the two."

She saw the worried expression intensify on his face and said supportively, "But sometimes a dream is just a dream, nothing more."

He looked at her and managed a smile. "Thanks Jean."

"Are you sure you're okay?", she asked and ducked as Rick threw a pillow at her. She stood up straight and looked at the pillow. "Definitely feeling better", she quipped. She picked up the pillow and tossed it back to him. "I'll check in on you later Rick. See you later Max."

She closed the door and Rick sat up and let his legs dangle over the side of the bed. He brought his hands up to his face, rubbed his eyes and tried to force himself to remember.

Max was getting very concerned and asked, "Do you want me to talk to Graham about this, Rick?"

"No Max. I'm going to have to talk to her myself."

"Rick, I'm not sure that…" Max cautioned, but Rick cut him off.

"Something happened Max, I know it. I don't know what, I…I think we kissed…but I'm not sure if we…I can see her shoulders and her…I think…I can't remember!", he finished in an exasperated voice.

Rick was getting agitated and Max had enough, stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Rick, you have got to calm down. Take some deep breaths and we'll talk it through."

Rick did as Max suggested and took several deep breaths and began to feel much better.

Max sat back down and asked, "What's the first thing you remember after the crash?"

Rick thought hard. "I …remember someone dragging me along a rough path of some kind. I had something on me, probably the communicator."

"That would be Graham taking you to the cave", he said. "Good. What next."

Rick closed his eyes and tried to keep remembering. "I remember… seeing and hearing Lisa in the cave." He looked at Max and said quietly, "She is the only person I remember being there with me."

"That's not right", said Max, shaking his head. "That must be a result of the concussion. Lisa was who you wanted and needed to see, so that's who you saw."

"But it wasn't her, it was Sue." The situation was terrifying to him. Sue Graham had brought him to the cave, yet he thought that she was Lisa.

"Then what?", prodded Max.

Rick closed his eyes and when he opened them again he said, "I remember kissing Lisa, and touching her all over. I wanted to…well, you know." Max nodded his understanding and Rick continued, "I can remember undoing Lisa's uniform top, and then there was a sharp pain in my head. Lisa asked me if I was okay. I remember taking off Lisa's top and she threw it on the floor of the cave. That's when my head really started to hurt." He reflexively brought his hand up to touch the tender spot, just as he did in the cave. "The next thing I remember is talking to Lisa in the infirmary last night."

He stood up, and Max got up just in case he needed help. Rick walked gingerly to the view port and looked at the stars, with Max close behind him. "My God Max, it wasn't Lisa at all." He turned to look at his dear friend and said in a horrified voice and with his eyes full of revulsion, "It wasn't Lisa I kissed. It wasn't Lisa I almost undressed. It wasn't Lisa I was going to make love to! It was Sue!"

Max looked at Rick. He was already a couple of steps ahead of Rick in figuring it all out, and had spent a few moments trying to figure out how to calm Rick down.

"How could this happen Max?"

"Rick", he began slowly and calmly.

"Don't you understand Max? Lisa will be devastated. Hell, I'm devastated."

"Rick…"

"Max, I…what…how do I tell her?"

"You just tell her Rick."

The simple answer caused Rick to pause and he looked at Max.

Max seized the chance and continued, "Rick, you've got to calm down. You had a bad concussion that drastically limited your sense of what was real, what was right and what was wrong. It doesn't even matter about right and wrong. They never came into play because you thought that Lisa was there with you. You weren't yourself. If you were in your right frame of mind, you would have realized it was Graham and nothing at all would have happened. You're not responsible for your actions Rick. Not at all."

Max smirked a little. "Besides, I think any anger and blame that Lisa will feel will land squarely on the shoulders of a certain black haired lieutenant."

Rick looked at him blankly and Max elaborated. "Rick, you were out of it and Graham was in total control. Would she have known that you thought that she was Lisa?"

Rick, seeing where Max was going with his comments, nodded his head. He remembered calling Lisa's name more than once.

"She took advantage, Rick. She knew that you thought that she was your wife, and she took the chance."

Rick had been so intent on how Lisa would feel, how hurt she would be, that he hadn't even considered Graham's actions. The anger started to swell in his chest…

Rick opened his mouth to speak but Max continued, "And Lisa is a very intelligent woman Rick. She knows that the hit you took was bad. She knows that it hurt you, she knows Sue Graham, and when she realizes what happened and more importantly why it happened, she will understand."

He gave what he had said a moment to sink in and went on.

"And more than all of that, Rick, Lisa loves you very much, too much to let this bother her and interfere with your relationship. You should have seen her Rick", he said shaking his head as he remembered. "She was beside herself with worry after you crashed. Her eyes were lifeless." Rick looked at Max sadly. Max nodded and added, "The only time I have ever seen her eyes like it."

Max put his hand on Rick's shoulder. "But when she found out you were going to be okay, Rick, the glow came back to her eyes. It was magical to see." He put his other hand on Rick's other shoulder and faced him to look him in his eyes. "All of that boils down to this: she will understand what happened and why. She will realize and understand that it happened not because you thought it was Sue Graham, but because you thought it was her."

Rick said in a hopeful voice, "Do you really think so Max?"

Max Sterling let go of Rick's shoulders, looked at his best friend and said confidently, "Of course I think so." He slapped Rick's shoulder and asked good-naturedly, "Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Max's reasoning relieved Rick immensely. He knew Max had made many valid points, and his understanding of Lisa was right on.

Jokingly, Rick said, "Well, there was that one time in New Macross…"

The two friends looked at each other and laughed…hard.

"It's nice to see that you're taking it easy Rick", came a heavenly voice from the doorway.

Lisa was standing there, cleaned up and looking stunning. She had decided not to bother with a uniform, she was taking time off to be with Rick and wouldn't be on duty after all, and was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a semi-tight white, long sleeved blouse. For the first time in a long time she had her hair pinned back on both sides, revealing more of her delicate cheeks and feminine jaw line.

Rick's smile was automatic. She noticed, like she always noticed when he smiled at her, walked over to him and in one fluid motion took his face in her hands and locked her lips onto his with an eagerness that was overwhelming.

Max waited for a couple of seconds and cleared his throat. "Ahem, I'll be leaving now." He walked to the door and said over his shoulder, "Miriya and I will stop by your quarters tonight to check on you Rick, if you think you'll be up to the company."

Rick broke away from Lisa to say, "Absolutely Max. And thanks."

Max offered him a casual salute in response and was gone.

Lisa looked at Rick in confusion and asked, "Did he say they'd drop by our quarters to see you?"

Rick looked at her and smiled. "Jean said if some tests come back okay today and I would promise to behave myself I could go home this evening."

Lisa hugged her husband and said thankfully, "That is just what I wanted to hear." She added in a whisper, "What I needed to hear."

Still hugging each other, Rick said into his wife's ear, "There's something I have to tell you Lisa, something important." He squeezed her lovingly, and unwilling to let her go right then he added, "But it can wait for a little while."


	9. Chapter 9

gppr- I haven't yet decided on Sue's fate. It won't become evident for another chapter, or two or three. I have no idea. Lol

In regards to the relationship of the Admirals, I really hated what McKinney did to them. It made no sense to me.

Sphersian- Rick's difficulty with all of this is just beginning I think. Mad Max, I don't think I would want him mad at me.

Adena- Rick is a sucker for the fairer sex, isn't he? Thank you for your kind words. As I kept going with this, remember this is my first shot at writing a fanfic, it has become somewhat easier to realize where I'm going and how to get there, if that makes sense.

Thank you all for the kind words.

Now, don't pass Go…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick was finally out of the one-size fits all hospital gown that he had been stuck in since they brought him in and into a sweat suit that Lisa had brought from their quarters. It was his favorite gray sweat suit, the one that Lisa gave him years ago for a birthday present. Rick had suspected that both Lisa and Max enjoyed watching him try to get around in that gown, which he never could get to hide everything.

He was watching Lisa now through the doorway, talking to a nurse at the nurse's station. He had noticed that she had tried a couple of times to leave the area, but the nurse always stopped her by saying something else. 

He still had a terrible aching feeling in his body that had nothing to do with the physical injury to his cranium. He had to tell her something that was going to hurt her. He knew Max was right when he said that Lisa would understand, but for the few seconds or the few minutes or couple of hours that it would take for her to process what had happened, she would be devastated.

And that would tear a hole in the fabric of his soul.

Despite that though, he knew that he had to tell her as soon as he could. Putting it off would only make it seem as though he were trying to hide it, which would hurt her even more. Lisa deserved to know the truth about what had happened.

He kept watching as his wife talked to the nurse, or more accurately as the nurse talked to her. It did him good to see her in something other than a uniform or nightclothes. She looked absolutely magnificent in her jeans and blouse. The blue denims hugged her curvy thighs and legs in exactly the right places, and the blouse was tantalizingly tight but tasteful.

Allowing himself a moments respite from the worrying that was plaguing him over the task ahead of him, he smiled and thought to himself, "_It's the perfect combination for the perfect woman"_.

----------------------------------

Lisa glanced into Rick's room as she talked to the nurse and caught him looking at her with the most wonderful smile on his face. Well, she never really caught him because he never really tried to hide the fact that he was admiring her. She had hoped her choice of outfit would drive him a little insane, the theory being it would help him to feel better in the long run.

"_He has barely taken his eyes off me"_, she thought happily. _"And I don't mind one little bit."_

And she really didn't. There was once a time when she would have given anything for him to look at her like that, back when he didn't seem to know she existed outside of the military, and she promised herself a long time ago that she would never take it for granted when he did look at her admiringly or feel embarrassed by his attention.

She smiled at him and he blew her a kiss. She had to keep herself from chuckling as the nurse was explaining the test that was scheduled for the next week.

She glanced at him again. "I adore that suit on him", she thought approvingly. "The gray compliments his eyes."

He had become steadier over the last couple of hours and he hadn't complained about anything, except the sore lump that adorned his forehead. Lisa knew better than that though. From the years of familiarity, closeness and loving observation she could see that he was still a bit wobbly, and he wasn't totally back to normal mentally either. He was putting on a brave front for the medical staff and she was thrilled that Jean was releasing him. Hopefully.

"_I can't wait to go home and just be alone with him."_

As his head continued to clear and he became steadier however, he also became a little more loving, but not in the way that he usually did. _"It almost seems as though he's trying to make up for something,"_ she thought absently. The nurse was going over the procedure for the third time. _"What was it he said, 'I have something to tell you Lisa, something important.' He's been acting strangely ever since he said that."_

"Okay Lisa", said Jean Grant as she walked purposefully up to her. "I...oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"We're finished", said Lisa, quicker than she meant to. She ignored the annoyed look on the nurse's face. "Thank you nurse", she said as she took Jean by the arm and led her into Rick's room.

She closed the door after they entered and she looked at Rick with deep relief.

He grinned and said in a dramatic stage whisper, "Escaped at last!"

Lisa laughed and Jean looked confused.

Lisa moved to stand beside Rick and she looked at Jean. "What do you think Jean?", she asked, hoping she hadn't noticed that she was holding her breath.

Jean came over and took a good look at the sizable lump on Rick's head. When she finished she looked at them both and said, "I think that Rick has a very hard head." She laughed at the irritated look on Rick's face and the knowing smile on Lisa's. "Give me a few minutes to finish the paperwork and you guys can go home." With that she left, and Rick turned to Lisa and gave her a very affectionate hug.

He was holding her as if it were going to be the last time that they would hold each other, and the worry in Lisa's heart grew. She had no idea about what could be bothering him or what it was that he had to tell her, but as the time passed he seemed to get more and more_…"Contrite?"_, she thought

True to her word three minutes and a few seconds later Jean returned to Rick's room, and after many, many promises by Rick to take it easy for a while, followed by many, many dire warnings about what would happen if he didn't, Jean allowed Rick to go home and enjoy the personal care of his loving wife.

Lisa held her arm out for Rick to take, and with a loving smile he did just that. They walked out the door to his former room and began to walk down the hall. Rick stopped and released Lisa, turned around and said to Jean and the nurses present, "Thank you all very much for your care, help and support." He smiled as he said, "I've been in…well, a lot of hospitals over the years, and you ladies are the best." There was laughter from the women and Rick turned to leave when he heard Jean Grant say, "Admiral?"

He looked at her and she came to attention and saluted, and as the nurses realized what Jean had done they too came to attention and saluted.

Lisa was beaming with pride, and Rick was almost overcome with gratitude and pleasant surprise. He took a step towards them, came to attention himself and offered them an exacting salute, being extremely careful not to hit his tender forehead with his fingers. He brought his arm down and nodded. He turned around to see Lisa smiling at him, and he felt a little embarrassed at all of the attention.

"Let's go home", he said.

She held out her right arm and he took it again. She placed her hand over his and as they started walking she said, "Home it is."

The walk to their quarters should have only taken ten minutes, but turned into thirty-five. Everyone that saw Rick asked how he was doing, offered salutes, expressed their thanks that he was okay or just wished him well.

Finally they reached their quarters and Rick turned to Lisa and whispered, "Quick, before someone else sees us." He had been grateful for everyone's comments and concern, but he just wanted to go home to be with his wife.

They went inside and Rick went to the couch and sat down while Lisa shut the door behind them.

As she locked the door she asked him, "Can I get you anything Rick?" When she turned around to get his answer and looked at him, her heart skipped a beat with concern. He was suddenly looking very pale and extremely uncomfortable, his cheerful smile had left to be replaced by a sad looking frown, and his eyes were dark as though they were contemplating a terrible burden.

Lisa was becoming more and more worried. Less than an hour ago they were looking forward to celebrating Rick's release from the infirmary and he was so jovial and well on the road to recovery. Now…

"Rick, what is it?", she asked, afraid of what he was going to say.

He looked up at her. Her heart was racing and she had to tell herself, _"Calm down Lisa."_

He patted the couch next to him to indicate that he wanted her to sit next to him. "Lisa…please sit down."

She began, "Rick…"

He looked at her pleadingly, as if to say that what he was going to do was hard enough, please don't make it worse.

Dreadful anticipation grabbed her heart and she slowly walked to the couch and sat next to him. He turned his body to face her she turned her body to face him. They were close, very close, and for the first time since they had gotten home Lisa noticed the very small beads of sweat on his forehead.

She said quietly, "Rick, you're scaring me. What is it?"

When she told him that he was scaring her a look of massive pain washed over his face. He closed his eyes as if to summon the strength to begin an arduous task, and when he opened his eyes and looked at her she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before: fearful resignation.

He took her hands in his and began. "Lisa…I…have something to tell you about the dream I had this morning."

"Rick if all of this is about some dream I'm going to put a bruise on the other side of your head", she said humorously.

He never even cracked a grin. "No Lisa, it's not all of it, but it's part of it."

Rick told her his dream. He told her how she was there with him in that dark cave, and how they had kissed and how much love there was between them.

She was beginning to wonder how this was a bad dream, when that name was spoken by her husband's lips. _"Sue Graham"_, she repeated to herself in disbelief when he had told her of how one second the person with him was her and the next second it was Graham.

He told her everything, leaving nothing out, just as he had dreamed it. He even told her of the feelings he had experienced in the dream: love, passion and desire.

He stopped and waited for her to say something. He couldn't read the expression on her face and that worried him more than if she had burst out crying or struck out with anger. He couldn't remember the last time he had looked at her and couldn't figure out what or how she was feeling.

She looked at him and her expression turned from unreadable to loving warmth. She smiled and said, "It was just a dream Rick. You had a concussion and you weren't yourself. It didn't mean anything…", her expression changed to one of trepidation, "…unless you're saying that…that you think it was Graham you wanted to be with."

She went to get up and he stopped her by strengthening his grip on her hands. He shook his head adamantly though it hurt like hell, and said intensely, "No Lisa, that's not what I'm saying at all."

He closed his eyes and began, "I got to thinking about the dream, and as I thought about it, it seemed as though some of it was more like…memories than a dream." He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Memories?", asked Lisa, her voice barely a whisper.

"I talked through it with Max, and I remembered what happened in that cave. Lisa, I…I thought it was you in the cave with me. I remember so clearly that it was you, you're the only person I remember. I saw your face, heard your voice, felt your…", he stopped. She looked shaken and thunderstruck. "I thought it was you, and I kissed you. But it wasn't you. I know now that I kissed Sue in the cave."

He now felt her grip tighten on his hands and he continued before the courage and strength left him.

"We kissed, and we…I started to undo…to undress you." Tears were forming in her green eyes, and despite his best efforts to keep calm and strong his own blue eyes felt obligated to join them. "I wanted to be with you Lisa, so badly. I wanted to hold you, to kiss you and…love you."

Lisa didn't want to hear anymore. She tore from his grip and stood up from the couch, and as she did she was so upset and overwhelmed that she staggered towards the door as if Rick had physically battered her.

"Lisa!", he shouted and got up to stop her from leaving. The pain in his head was excruciating, but he didn't waiver. He caught up to her as she reached for the door and took her hands again as she sank to the floor. She just sat there, tears flowing down her delicate cheeks, shaking her head slowly and whispering, "No, no, no."

He got down on his knees in front of her and brought her head closer to rest against his chest. "Lisa, nothing happened." He understood why she reacted the way she had. She assumed that Rick and Sue had been together intimately.

"Lisa", he went on, "I took off her uniform shirt and passed out. Nothing happened."

She leaned back and looked at him with her emerald eyes, looking to see if he was telling her the truth or what she had wanted to hear. She knew Rick well enough to know that the sincerity in his voice and eyes when he told her that nothing sexual happened was genuine. She could also see that the pain in his eyes was real. Not the physical pain, but the pain that he was feeling from telling her these hurtful things.

"I thought she was you Lisa", he said softly, his eyes looking deeply into hers. "If I had known it was Graham, I never would have done anything. She means nothing to me Lisa and I don't want anything to do with her. It's you Lisa, it always has been and always will be."

He looked at her, his blue eyes pleading with her green ones.

"Please…please tell me you believe that." He was begging and he knew it.

He didn't care.

He was hurting the woman he loved more than anything. He had no pride left in him.

He didn't care about that either.

Lisa's mind was racing over what he had just told her. _"Rick and Sue. Rick?"_

She looked at him and pictured him kissing and undressing Sue Graham, and she became physically ill.

"You've got to believe me Lisa. I thought it was you all along. Please…forgive me."

She got up off of the floor and walked across the room, finally supporting herself against the kitchen doorway. He got up and was going to go to her when she held up her hand for him to stop where he was. He did, and she closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Lisa was again running over everything that he had said.

Part of her said, _"He was hurt Lisa. He had a concussion and wasn't in control." _Another part of her agreed, "_No, he wasn't." _

"_He thought it was you that he was with, do you believe him?",_ came a question. She replied to herself, _"Yes."_

"_It was you he said he wanted to be with."_

"_I believe that, too." _

"_He said he doesn't want anything to do with Graham. Do you believe that?"_

"_Yes, I do."_

"_Graham never tried to stop him!"_, she realized._ "She was going to let it happen. She's to blame for this."_

His final appeal replayed in her mind and she asked herself, _"Do you forgive him?"_

"Do I forgive him?" 

"No", she whispered aloud, still to herself. She looked up and squared her shoulders to him with a confidence instilled in her by years of practice and training. She had decided, and with that decision came the strength that she so desperately needed to show him right now.

"No," she repeated louder so that he could hear her.

The look on her face had changed over the last few seconds into something he could easily read: pure, unadulterated rage. She spoke for several more seconds, but he was so stunned by her negative response and the anger in her eyes that he didn't even hear it, it just sounded like she was mumbling from a distance._ 'No',_ she had said. He had hoped badly that she would realize what had happened, as Max had suggested she would, and understand that what he had done was not intentional on his part. Before he could shake himself out of his trance he heard the door to their quarters open and close.

"Lisa!", he shouted as he went to the door. He was going to run after her, but he didn't have the chance, as a blinding pain in his head made him collapse as he took the first step out the door.

He fell to his knees, holding himself up with his left hand and holding his forehead with the other. "_What was it Jean said about avoiding stress?"_, the back of his mind asked.

"Rick!", he heard someone exclaim and part of him recognized the sound as the voice of Max Sterling.

"Lisa", he moaned as he felt Max put his hands on his shoulders, helping him up and then supporting him as they moved inside to the couch. When Rick sat down, Miriya handed him a glass of water. He hadn't even noticed her come in with Max.

Both of them looked at him with grave concern.

"What happened Rick?", asked Max.

The pain was still throbbing in his head so hard that he could barely manage to speak. "Lisa…I told her everything Max. She…she was so…hurt. I asked her to forgive me, and she said no. Then…then she left."

"How long ago?", asked Miriya.

He looked at her through a pain-induced haze and replied, "Just before you got here."

Miriya put her hand on Max's shoulder and left without saying anything.

Rick shakily put the glass on the coffee table and tried to get up and follow Miriya, but he would have collapsed to the floor again if Max hadn't been ready to catch him.

Max held him up and Rick began to weep quietly. He eased Rick back onto the couch and said firmly, "Rick, it's going to be okay. You've got to take it easy or you'll end up in the infirmary where you won't be able to do anyone any good, especially Lisa. Miriya will find her."

"Lisa…", Rick managed before he passed out from the grief and the pain.

Max lid him down and covered him with a blanket he retrieved from the nearby closet.

He looked at Rick on the couch and thought, _"Don't worry Rick. It's going to be okay, I promise you."_

----------------------------------

Lisa walked down the corridors of her ship like a woman possessed with a cause greater than herself. She had gone to the quarters of the woman she was looking for first, and when she wasn't there she went to her office. She wasn't in either place and that just fuelled the anger that was steadily increasing inside of her like an expanding super nova.

She decided to try the Mess next. As she walked she ignored the salutes and greetings of the crew, she was so focused on her search.

She got to the Mess and looked inside through the window of the door and spotted the person for whom she was searching.

Lisa just stood outside the Mess looking at Sue Graham as she talked to Lieutenants Andrea Grace and Angela Marques, laughing and apparently having a good time. She clenched her right fist as she had the moment before she had punched Graham, driving her fingernails into the palm of her hand so hard that it started to bleed.

She never noticed.

"_How dare you take advantage of him?"_, she thought furiously. She continued to let the firestorm of rage in her heart grow and grow. _"I was going to thank you for taking care of him down there. I don't believe it. You've made your last attempt to seduce my husband you…"_

Finally her anger had built up sufficiently and she stepped forward to open the door when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Enraged that her mission was so cruelly interrupted, she whirled on the person who had stopped her.

"Don't try and stop me Miriya", she growled and turned to go inside the Mess to confront Graham.

"Now is not the time for this my friend", said Miriya calmly, and she reached to take a hold of Lisa's arm.

Lisa ripped her arm out of Miriya's hand and again started to go inside the Mess.

"Lisa…", said Miriya.

She quickly stepped in front of Lisa, blocking her from going inside.

"Miriya, get out of my way", Lisa snarled and pushed her off to the side.

Miriya had had enough of that. In a lightning fast move she grabbed Lisa by her right shoulder and spun her around to face her. When Lisa faced her she grabbed both of her shoulders and pushed her up against the wall, using her powerful athletic arms to pin her there so she would hear what she had to say. Lisa was not a slouch in the art of hand-to-hand combat by any means, but she instantly realized the former Quadrano leader had her over powered and out matched.

"Miriya, let me go!", Lisa barked.

"Now is not the time my friend", she repeated calmly.

"I'm mad as hell Miriya!", she exclaimed angrily. "Now is the perfect time to take care of that little…!"

"Not when Rick needs you", Miriya interrupted, allowing a little coldness of her own into her voice to try to get Lisa to focus on what she was saying.

"Rick is fine in our quarters…", Lisa tried to say.

But the intense shaking of Miriya's head interrupted her. "No Lisa, he isn't fine. He collapsed in the corridor when he tried to run after you and he's asking for you."

"He…what? Collapsed?", said a confused Lisa. The anger in her body was instantly channeled into a sense of fear for her husband's health. "I told him…"

She tried to go to him but Miriya, thinking she was still intent on facing Graham, held her tightly in place against the wall. She struggled to get free but Miriya would not budge.

"Miriya please…" Realizing why Miriya hadn't let go, she said, "I'll deal with her later. I've got to go to Rick."

Seeing the fear in Lisa's eyes, Miriya let go of her immediately and said in a relieved voice, "Lead the way Lisa."

Lisa ran home to her quarters with Miriya in close pursuit.

She opened the door, took a couple of steps inside and stopped dead in her tracks with a feeling of dread and guilt. He was on the couch covered in a blanket, his cheek was wet and his tears stained the pillow that Max had placed under his head. His lips were moving, forming words but he didn't actually make any sounds.

Max was sitting in a chair next to the couch. She looked at him and asked, "How is he Max?" He stood up and pointed to the kitchen without uttering a syllable. She wanted anxiously to go to Rick, but seeing the way that Max had looked at her, she decided it was better to see what he had to say first.

She followed him into the kitchen and Miriya joined them a moment later.

Annoyed at Lisa for leaving Rick in the state that he was in, Max said hotly, "What happened Lisa? We found him collapsed in the hall. He said you didn't forgive him and left! You can't seriously blame him for any of this."

Lisa was shocked by the angry tone of Max's voice, as well as the hostility in his eyes. "I don't blame him, Max."

"What do you mean you…", and he stopped. "You don't?", he asked.

She smiled and said, "No Max, I don't blame him. I blame Sue Graham." Really confused now she looked back and forth between Max and Miriya and added, "I told him I'd be back."

Max and Miriya looked at each other, more than a little puzzled by the situation.

Lisa looked at them and asked, "What is going on?"

They didn't have an answer, and were saved a moment later when they heard Rick call out Lisa's name in the living room.

Lisa hurried to the couch. A lone tear was falling down his cheek and she felt so terrible for leaving him alone. She knelt down beside him and said softly, "Rick."

"Lisa", he said in a pitiful voice.

She was heart broken. "It's okay Rick, I'm here and I won't leave again. I'm so sorry I left you alone." She gently stroked his left cheek and wiped away the tear that was making its way down to join the others on the pillow.

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

Realizing she really was beside him he reached for her right hand and gripped it tightly.

"Rick, what happened?", she asked. "Why did you come after me?"

"I didn't want you to leave me Lisa…"

"Rick", she interrupted, "I told you I'd be back."

"'No' you said. I asked you to forgive me and you said 'no'." He sounded as though his reason for being was gone.

"I did say 'no'", she agreed, but continued by saying, "But then I said that there was nothing to forgive. Didn't you listen?"

With her help, he sat up on the couch without loosening his hold on her hand and gingerly shook his head. "All I can remember is you saying 'no'."

She smiled at him and said tenderly, "Rick, you sweet, adorable fool. I said I wouldn't forgive you because you didn't need forgiveness. I know it wasn't your fault Rick. I told you I was going to see Graham and that I wouldn't be long. You didn't hear any of that?"

He looked terribly embarrassed and said awkwardly, "No. When I heard you say 'no' I just started thinking about…well I just started thinking."

Her shame in her own recklessness became limitless. She should have made sure Rick was okay before storming off to have it out with Graham. She knew he was still unsteady and unwell, and for her to abandon him so suddenly to satisfy her anger was inexcusable.

"I'm so sorry Rick", she said honestly. She kissed him lovingly and sat down next to him on the couch putting her head on his right shoulder.

He was beginning to perk up a little; the short rest and Lisa's return working wonders for his state of mind and his physical health. It was then that he noticed a sticky feeling in the palm of his hand, the one that was holding Lisa's hand. He released her hand and then turned it so he could see her palm.

Concerned he asked, "Lisa, what happened?" In the palm of her right hand were four crescent shaped cuts, each one's size corresponding perfectly to the size of one of her fingernails.

Between her anger at Graham and her worry for Rick, she hadn't even noticed the little cuts that she inflicted on herself when she wrung up her fist at seeing Graham.

"It's nothing Rick, I'll be fine." She changed the subject by asking, "Feeling better?"

He leaned his head against hers and said happily, "Much better, now that you're here with me."

Max and Miriya had stood back and watched all of it unfold without making a sound, so when Max handed Lisa a cloth for her hand and spoke it almost startled Rick and Lisa. "Do you guys need anything before we leave?", he asked.

"No Max", said Lisa as she wiped the crimson from Rick's hand and then her own. She got up, walked them to the door and hugged them both.

Miriya asked quietly, "You're sure there's nothing else we can do?"

Lisa shook her head slowly and said, "No. You've both done more than your fair share tonight. I don't know how to thank the two of you."

"Think nothing of it. Call if you need us", said Max as he opened the door.

"I will", replied Lisa as they left. She closed the door behind them and walked back over to the couch where Rick was still sitting.

She stopped in front of him and said softly to him, "Why don't you come to bed and get some rest?" When she finished speaking she held out her hand to help him up.

He looked at the hand that she was holding out for him to take. He reached up and took it, looking again at her palm. He brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed her small wounds. When he finished, he got up and followed her into their bedroom. He didn't even bother to get changed, he just lid down on his back on their bed

She lid down next to him, watching him intently. "I love you Rick", she said lovingly as she laid her uninjured hand on his chest. "I love you so much."

He reached up and held her hand. "I love you Lisa", he murmured as sleep began to overpower him.

Lisa watched as her husband finally fell asleep thinking not about Sue Graham, the Regis, the SDF-3 or any of the other unimportant things that she routinely worried about, but about the man she loved, sleeping next to her.


	10. Chapter 10

A little explanation in regards to Lisa's actions. I just tried to think of how ticked off Lisa could get, and that's what I came up with.

Thanks everyone for the reviews. Please keep them coming.

Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep them doggies rollin'…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick slept peacefully during the night and Lisa was certain that it wasn't because he was so tired, but because the burden of telling her what had transpired in the cave was no longer eating away at him. How she would take it had worried him, and it had taken its toll on him mentally and physically. Lisa stayed with him and wouldn't leave him again until he was feeling better. In fact, she had shunned any and all responsibilities save one: caring for her husband.

She had resolved to make the next little while in Rick's life as peaceful as possible to help with his recovery. She would make sure there was no mention of work, the MED, the cave and most importantly Sue Graham. Lisa never even permitted herself to think of Graham, afraid that Rick would pick up on it and become agitated.

The day after his collapse was uneventful, with the Hunters staying at home, resting, talking and holding each other. The only visitor they had was a nurse from the infirmary, sent by Jean to check up on Rick. He didn't show any ill effects of his concussion and never bothered to mention anything about the previous night, much to Lisa's dismay.

When they went to bed, they held each other tightly, and while Rick again had a good night sleep, Lisa was haunted by what she considered to be the most terrible image from the last couple of days. She didn't actually see it when it happened, but from Max's description her own vigorous imagination drew her the image of Rick, collapsed on his knees outside their quarters, calling her name.

It broke her heart every time it flashed in her mind. She forced herself to concentrate on him as he cuddled into her back, his arms around her holding her so close to him that she could feel his breath on her neck. She focused on his breathing, in and out, in and out, and in and out. It was after only a few seconds of feeling his breathing that she fell asleep.

----------------------------------

They got up late the next morning, and the only reason they got up when they did was because the nurse had come to check on Rick again.

When she left they had their breakfast. They talked as they ate, carefully avoiding the subjects of work and Sue Graham, and as Lisa put the dirty dishes in the kitchen she asked, "How are you feeling, Rick?"

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and he replied humorously, "I wish you'd stop asking me that. You've got it up to asking once every two point three one minutes." And as Lisa wrinkled her nose at him he let loose a hearty laugh.

She smiled at him, so relieved to see him smile and hear him laugh.

He got up and met her as she exited the kitchen and took her lovingly in his arms. He kissed that tiny little area of her neck, right below and slightly behind her ear, that always made her tingle all over when he kissed it. And when his kissing turned into very gentle sucking, every muscle in her lean body tensed as they always did, and she could feel him smile against her skin at her reaction. It always made her forget whatever else was happening, no matter what that something else was. She almost regretted telling him long ago that his kisses in that hypersensitive spot had such a profound affect on her.

Almost.

Rick leaned back enough to look into her eyes, and she saw that all the humor had left his baby blues. "I feel fine Lisa", he said seriously. He brought her back into his embrace and whispered into her ear, "Being with you makes all the difference in the world."

She leaned back this time, and as she brought her right hand up to caress his cheek she said, "I wouldn't be anywhere else." She brought her lips near his and hesitated, wondering how much excitement was too much for him.

He sensed the question that was going through her mind and answered it for her, by bringing his lips the extra few millimeters to cover hers. She was still unsure and nearly resisted, but a couple of seconds of his tenderness persuaded her to join in whole-heartedly.

They broke from their kiss moments later and a concerned and somewhat breathless Lisa asked, "Are you okay Rick?"

He kissed her nose and looking at the clock said, "Three point six three minutes. Better."

He laughed as she slapped his arm. He took her hand and led her to the couch where they sat down and got comfortable.

The truth was that Rick felt absolutely fine. He had no symptoms associated with concussions since his collapse. No vomiting or nausea, no blurred vision and his head was clear. In fact he hadn't even so much as had a headache since the night he was released from the infirmary.

Rick sat up on the couch with his legs outstretched and his feet rested on the coffee table. Lisa sat next to him and her feet joined his on the table. She was cuddled into his left side and his arm was around her shoulder and she gently rubbed his chest with her left hand.

They sat together on the couch, just talking. They talked about everything they could think of, though for some reason their thoughts usually strayed back to their days aboard the SDF-1 and New Macross. They remembered the friends they lost, the friends they had made, the good times and the bad.

They talked, yet again, about the time that Lisa, Vanessa, Kim and Sammie had gone to a clothing store in Macross, looking at lingerie when they saw Rick crouching on the floor in front of them. They had decided to leave and come back later, hopefully when he was gone. It wasn't until much later that Rick got the chance to tell Lisa that he was fumbling around the floor trying to pick up the groceries he dropped while Minmei was trying on a dress.

Their laughter at the episode had just died down when there was a knock on their door. Rick got up and opened the door to find Max waiting there.

"Hey Boss", he said pleasantly, "How are you feeling?"

Rick rolled his eyes, groaned and turned to go back to the couch, leaving a confused Max standing by the door. He came in and as Rick sat back down next to Lisa he asked innocently, "Was it something I said?"

Lisa chuckled and replied as he sat down, "He's getting a little tired of being asked about how he's feeling."

"I see", said an understanding Max. Then he said teasingly, "Getting back to normal then."

He grinned, Lisa laughed and Rick just smiled, taking the jibe in stride.

Max looked at Rick and asked, "Do you have any plans for this afternoon Rick?"

Rick gingerly shook his head and asked, "What's up?"

"I have to fly down to Base Tirol-Gamma this afternoon and was wondering if you'd like to join me." Lisa started to protest but Max stopped her by leaning forward and saying, "I've already cleared it with Jean, Lisa. She said as long I didn't do any high gee turns and kept the bouncing around to a minimum, it would be okay, assuming Rick was feeling okay and hadn't had any nausea or headaches in the last few hours."

He sat back and looked at the concerned look on Lisa's face. He figured the trip would do Rick some good by getting him off the ship and on solid ground with some fresh air to breathe. Plus, in Rick's case, flying was a bonus. He had another reason for suggesting it though. He suspected that Lisa needed a break, and he believed he was right from the tired look on her face.

Rick looked thoughtful. "Well, I would…" Realizing that Lisa was watching him he stopped, turned to her and asked, "What do you think, Lisa? Any objections?"

Her eyes shone brightly as she smiled at him. It meant so much to her that he asked her about her thoughts and feelings on this before he made up his mind. She had noticed the sparkle that came to his eyes when Max mentioned flying, and realizing it would do him good she said, "If Jean says it's fine and you think you're okay, have fun. It will give me a chance to do a couple of things so I can spend more time with you later." In truth, the only thing she really wanted to do, besides be with him, was talk to Jean about him.

He took her hand, holding it appreciatively, and leaned over and kissed her lovingly on her lips. "Thank you", he whispered.

"Perfect!", exclaimed Max. He got up out of the chair, hopped to the door and said, "I'll drop by and pick you up around 1300 hours."

As Max shut the door behind him, Rick turned to Lisa and asked, "Are you sure you don't mind?"

She gave him an 'are you kidding' smile, cuddled back into him and said, "Flying is probably the best medicine you could have right now."

He put his arm around her again and he turned his head to look at her. His blue eyes searched for her emerald eyes, and when he found them he said reverently, "No Lisa, I've been having the best medicine." He kissed her sweet lips and added, "Flying is just the extra little booster shot."

----------------------------------

True to his word Max knocked on their door at 1300 hours. Rick was ready and waiting for him, and when he opened the door Max had the silliest grin on his face.

Rick eyed him suspiciously and asked, "What the hell is so funny Max?"

"I've been thinking, this is going to be the first time that I'll be flying you around in an Alpha. You're going to go crazy!" When he finished his grin had turned into a smile that seemed to cover his entire face.

Rick couldn't hide his own smile. He knew Max would bring that up, but said warningly, "Max…"

"Don't worry Boss", he interrupted with the smile still in place. "If you behave I'll even let you take the stick."

"What's this about behaving?", asked Lisa coming out of the bedroom to stand next to Rick. She put on the sternest, most menacing look she could muster and looked back forth between the two friends. "If either of you misbehave, the consequences will be severe."

Both men lost their smiles and looked at her questioningly as she looked at Rick first. "Your punishment", she said as she kissed him deeply and moved back from him, "will be that that will be the last time for a long time that my lips will touch yours."

Rick gulped and vowed to himself not to fool around.

Max's grin returned as his friend was shot down in a blaze of glory by his own wife, but it quickly went away when she turned her steely gaze on him. "And you Captain Sterling, your punishment for misbehaving will be most harsh indeed."

He looked at her with a mixture of curiosity, amusement and of course, dread.

Lisa stepped up to him and said in a low but authoritative voice, "I'll tell Miriya on you."

Neither man laughed. She was dead serious and their respective punishments for not behaving themselves were about the worst that that they could imagine for themselves.

Trying to disarm Lisa, Max flashed his boyish smile and said, "Don't worry Lisa. I won't let anything happen to him. We'll be back by 1500 hours."

Her firm facial expression didn't waver, but she said, "I know Max."

She turned back to Rick and said softly, "It's too bad you can't check on Roy while you're down there."

"We'll go down together soon. We both need to see him, and he needs to see the both of us."

She nodded and said affectionately, "I love you. See you later this afternoon."

He gave her a small kiss on her forehead and said, "I love you too. Wild horses couldn't keep me from coming back to you."

A radiant smile graced her beautiful lips, prompting him to give her another quick kiss on her forehead before he went out the door. Max gave her a solemn nod before he left to follow Rick, telling her without speaking not to worry.

She closed the door and leaned her back up against it. She sighed and smiled as she repeated, "Wild horses…"

Her smile wouldn't go away as she headed for the comm. unit. She punched in a number and said when someone answered, "This is Admiral Hunter, is Dr. Grant in?"

----------------------------------

Max and Rick got suited up and it finally dawned on Rick to ask Max why he had to go to Tirol in the first place.

Max screwed up his face said distastefully. "Quick meeting with some Tirolian defense officials. Shouldn't take too long." He crossed his fingers and added, "I hope."

Rick nodded his head in agreement and the two men headed out onto the flight deck. Instead of heading to Skull One, they headed for the training Alpha that Max used occasionally. Its official designation was Trainer One, but Max had his own name for it.

Max looked at the flight chief, who was back on to him, and asked, "Is Skull One Junior ready chief?"

Rick just shook his head in disbelief and amusement.

"She's all set Captain", came the chief's reply. As he turned around he asked, "What poor sucker are you torturing today, sir?"

When the chief noticed Rick, decked out in a red and white flight suit and a helmet under his right arm standing next to Max, he almost had a stroke.

"Admiral! I'm…I didn't…"

Rick held up his hand to stop the chief and said, "Don't worry chief, he has his orders to be gentle with me." Then he busted out laughing, more at Max's face than anything else.

"Ready Boss?", asked Max after Rick finally settled down.

Rick responded, "You bet. Do you want to lead, or shall I?"

Max pondered it for a second and said, "If I let you lead, Lisa will have my hide, so I'll lead thank you very much."

Rick frowned and said light heartedly, "Coward."

They both donned their flight helmets, Rick's red and white and Max's blue and white, nodded to the chief and climbed aboard the Alpha, with Max getting in the back where the master flight controls were and Rick in the front where the trainee flight controls were located.

Max asked for clearance to depart, and while he waited for their response he asked Rick, "Are you positive you're feeling up to this Rick?"

A supremely annoyed Rick said, "Max if you ask me that one more time…"

Flight control interrupted him by granting them permission to leave the ship, and before Rick could finish his threat Max grinned and threw the throttle forward.

Max couldn't see it, but he knew there was an enormous smile on his friend's face.

He was right.

----------------------------------

Not long after Rick and Max left the ship, Lisa heard a knock on the door to her cabin. She put the last of the glasses she had been cleaning away and went to the door. When she opened it she found who she expected to see, Dr. Jean Grant.

"Thanks for coming Jean", Lisa said as she motioned for Jean to come in. "Have a seat and I'll get us some tea."

Lisa poured them both up a cup of tea and placed them on the coffee table in front of the couch, where Jean had seated herself. After Lisa joined her on the couch, Jean asked as she picked up her tea, "So what's up, Lisa?" Jean knew this wasn't a social call. It wasn't like Lisa to just call up out of the blue to ask her to stop by for tea, especially in the middle of the day.

Lisa took a second to gather herself before relating to her friend the events of the past thirty-six hours or so. Jean already knew about the Sit. Room Incident, but Lisa hadn't had the chance to tell her about the incident on the moon, and of course the reason she had called her in the first place: Rick's collapse.

Lisa told Jean everything without hesitation up to where she left Rick to go and confront Graham. It was at this point in her story that Lisa finally had to stop and summon some more strength and composure.

Jean didn't know what to say or what to think. She just sat there, eyes wide and sipping her tea waiting for Lisa to continue.

When Lisa did continue, her voice was subdued. "Rick collapsed the night before last outside our quarters." Lisa saw the alarm develop in Jean and she continued, "I…left and he…was trying to come after me…he didn't hear me when I told him I'd be back." Tears formed in her green eyes and her voice faltered as she remembered.

Jean placed her teacup on the table and moved closer to Lisa, putting her arm around her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. She had done this often in the immediate aftermath of Khyron's final attack, and Lisa had done the same for her. They had to support each other then. Lisa had lost her best friend in Claudia, and Jean had lost her sister-in-law.

"Why didn't you call me Lisa?", asked Jean, a little shocked by it all.

Lisa shook her head and said, "Rick just wanted to be left alone and rest. He asked me to stay with him and I did. The next morning he was fine, almost back to his usual self."

"Did he have any nausea?"

"No, he just had a sharp pain in his head and went to his knees. He went to sleep for a short time and woke up when I came back. He was so worried about my reaction to…Graham, and when I left he thought…well you know."

Jean nodded and thought to herself, _"He thought she was leaving him…like Lisa would really leave Rick."_

She amusedly said, "That's why Miriya nearly choked on her breakfast when Graham was called a hero."

Lisa's face betrayed her confusion when she turned and looked at Jean.

Seeing that she needed to explain herself Jean smiled and said, "Max, Miriya, Vince and I met for breakfast this morning in the Mess, and as we were eating someone at the next table commented on how Graham's actions were heroic." Jean sat back as she remembered the bizarre situation. "Miriya had just put a sizable piece of toast in her mouth and nearly gagged on it. Poor Max had to pat her back for several seconds to get her to stop. In fact, I was getting ready to perform the Heimlich on her, but she spit it out just as I got up. She was about to say something, but Max took her hand and she clammed up. We didn't think anything of it, I mean you know what they can be like. She had the most irritated look on her face for the rest of breakfast."

She leaned forward to pick up her tea and took another sip before saying, "She never did tell me what was did or said to get all her worked up like that. Now I know."

All Lisa could say was, "Wow." She picked up her own tea and let the warm liquid flow down, warming her as it went along.

"No kidding", Jean said. "I could say the same thing about Graham… and you."

A perplexed Lisa looked at Jean as she replaced her cup onto the table and looked at Lisa reassuringly. "A concussion can be a tricky thing, you know that as well as anyone, Lisa", she said.

Her expression hardened as she decided to be brutally honest with her friend. "In regards to why he collapsed, I think we both know it was the stress of the situation that caused it, his worry about what had happened, what would happen and, yes Lisa, your actions."

Jean saw Lisa's eyes well up with tears again and said, "Rick needs you while he recovers. He needs the patience, support and love of his wife. You shouldn't ever let Graham get to you, especially when he needs you so badly. Be there for him and he'll be fine. I guarantee it."

Lisa just sat there, mulling over what Jean had said. She hadn't really said anything that Lisa didn't already figure out for herself, but hearing someone else express what she was feeling hit her hard. She could no longer hold the tears back, and as they started their downward journey she felt Jean's arm go around her again.

When Jean spoke, she spoke softly. "I can't imagine how you felt, and looking back I can see how you would lose control. I probably would have done the exact same thing in your position, maybe worse." She decided on a more humorous approach. "Miriya would have gone through the bulkheads."

Lisa laughed and wiped away the tears in her eyes. Jean smiled as she said, "The bottom line Lisa, is that no harm was done and Rick appears to be on the road to a complete recovery. According to Nurse Anderson's reports he's doing very well. But just to show you that I'm right, why don't you and Rick stop by the infirmary later this afternoon and I'll give him a quick checkup. What time did Max say they would be back today?"

"Around 1500 hours", was Lisa's reply.

Jean nodded as she released Lisa and said, "Around 1500 it is."

Jean picked up her teacup and finished the last of her tea. She got up and brought the cup into the kitchen and then headed to the door.

Lisa got up as she said, "Jean, wait."

When Lisa got to Jean she gave her a quick hug and said sincerely, "Thank you… for everything."

With a smile and glint in her eyes, Jean responded by saying, "What are friends for Lisa. I'll see you this afternoon." With that she was gone.

Lisa closed the door and went back to the couch, where she finished the last of her own tea. She sat back, still holding the teacup in her hands, and thought to herself, _"No one could ever replace you Claudia, but your sister-in-law is as close as anyone can get."_

----------------------------------

Rick and Max made it to Tirol without incident.

Max did what he had promised he would do, keep the maneuvers simple and slow as to not jostle Rick around too much. The weather around Tirol's capital was calm and perfect, and the landing was as smooth as Max had ever made.

He taxied to the appropriate location and opened the canopy as he shut down the engines. Rick climbed out first and as he reached the ground he allowed himself a stretch. Max wasn't far behind him.

They made their way to the security check point, where a REF security officer was waiting. Rick peeled off to take a look at a strange looking aircraft leaving Max to deal with the formalities.

As they approached, the REF officer consulted a list of scheduled arrivals and found Max's name, but couldn't find anything about a passenger. As a preemptive action, he signaled for the base commander to come down just in case Sterling tried to pull rank or something to get his friend inside.

As Max got to the checkpoint the guard saluted and said, "Captain Sterling, sir. Welcome back to Tirol."

Max had seen the officer many times before, and wasn't surprised that he remembered him. He returned the salute and said, "Thanks Lieutenant McKay. How have you been?"

"Fine sir. And you?"

"Just fine Lieutenant. I'd be better if I didn't have to go to this meeting."

"I know what that's like sir." The pleasantries over with the guard glanced at Rick, who still had his back turned to him and stated to Max, "I don't show clearance for any passengers Captain."

Max scratched his head and explained, "Well, I wasn't sure if he was going to come, so I didn't bother to get clearance. Trust me Lieutenant, he's not a problem."

The guard frowned as he said, "I'm sure he isn't sir, but I have procedures that I have to follow. Could you ask your friend to come over here, please sir?"

Max smiled and said, "Of course Lieutenant."

As Max went over to his friend, the guard turned to see the base commander, Captain Oliver, come towards him from inside the base. McKay was about to speak when the strangest thing happened. A look of surprised recognition came over Captain Oliver's face and he stopped in his tracks and saluted. Just for a moment McKay thought Oliver was saluting him, but he realized that he was in fact saluting Sterling…or Sterling's friend.

McKay turned around and got his own shock. With Sterling was Admiral Rick Hunter. He automatically saluted and hoped that everyone forgot that he was there.

Rick returned their salutes, but before he could say anything Captain Oliver said, "Welcome to Base Tirol-Gamma, Admiral Hunter. I wish I had known you were coming sir, I would have arranged a proper welcome for you. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Rick smiled a genuine smile and replied, "Thank you Captain. With all due respect, I'm glad you didn't know I was coming down. I hate formal receptions."

They all laughed, except for McKay, who was trying desperately to remain inconspicuous.

"Well Lieutenant", said Oliver to McKay, "What seems to be the trouble?"

McKay was beginning to turn red, and he said, "Well sir…I wasn't…"

Max interrupted him by saying as he winked to McKay, "I believe Lieutenant McKay assumed that you would want to welcome the Admiral personally, Captain."

Catching Max's wink he affirmed, "Yes sir."

Captain Oliver looked thoughtful for a second and said, "Good call Lieutenant." He turned to face Rick and Max, missing McKay's sigh of relief and said, "Would you care to join me for a snack or drink gentlemen?"

Max spoke up, "I'll take a rain check on that Captain, I have a meeting to get to."

Rick, not really in the mood but having nothing else to do said, "I'd be honored Captain. Lead the way." As he followed Captain Oliver into the base he said over his shoulder, "Give me a shout when you're ready Max."

"Sure thing Rick", he called out. He looked at McKay and asked, "You okay Lieutenant?"

McKay, face red and sweat on his forehead, looked at him and said, "Yes sir. Thank you for covering that sir."

As Max passed the guard on the way to his meeting he gently slapped his shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it Lieutenant. You did the right thing."

Max continued on, not daring to look back afraid he would see McKay collapse or something, and equally afraid that McKay would see the massive grin on his face.

----------------------------------

As it turned out Max was only about half an hour, and after thanking Captain Oliver for his gracious hospitality Rick made his way back to the Alpha. Thankfully, the same guard was still on duty, so he wouldn't have to go through the recognition, explanations and formalities.

He saluted McKay as he passed by and went to the Alpha, where he found Max waiting for him.

Max tossed Rick his helmet, and as he put on his own he asked, "Feel up to leading this dance Admiral?"

Rick put on his helmet and answered by climbing up into the back seat of the Alpha.

As Rick began the pre flight sequence, Max climbed up into the front seat and said, "I'll take that as a yes."

Seconds later, Rick taxied the Alpha to their departure point, and when he got clearance to lift off he started a very slow roll forward and said to Max, "How are you feeling Max?"

A slightly puzzled Max responded, "I'm doing fine Rick."

Max was expecting the plane to keep going forward, so when Rick activated the ventral thrusters, lifting the Alpha up off the runway just enough to go to Guardian mode, and punched the throttle forward taking the Alpha straight up like an out of control elevator heading to the heavens, Max was quite surprised.

"Son of a gun!", he exclaimed as his stomach all of a sudden introduced itself to his ankles.

Seconds later they were in space and heading for home.

Max couldn't see it, but he damn well knew there was an enormous smile on his friend's face.

And of course, he was right.

----------------------------------

Lisa's warning was still ringing in his ears so Rick didn't do anything rash at the controls on the way back. At 1445 hours Rick brought the Alpha into the hangar bay without any problems, and when they disembarked the first thing the duo saw was their wives waiting for them near the hangar bay entrance.

Max gave Rick a worried look and Rick just shrugged, realizing there was no point in doing anything but face the music. They hadn't really done anything dangerous or acrobatic, but the look on the women's faces indicated that they thought otherwise.

They walked towards Lisa and Miriya, slowly, as though they were headed to the firing squad. As Rick and Max got closer, they could see the displeased looks on the faces of their wives and they were both tempted to just turn around and head back to the Alpha.

They didn't, and when they reached the women they both tried to give their wives a kiss, but as they both leaned in towards their respective wives Lisa and Miriya, almost in unison turned their heads so that their husband's kisses landed on their cheeks, not on their intended targets: their lips. Both men stepped back and stood there facing the two ladies, waiting for them to say something.

The bad cop-bad cop routine began with Miriya looking at Max and saying, "Captain Sterling, am I to understand that you were responsible for the safety of Admiral Hunter on your trip?"

Max nervously pushed his glasses back up along the bridge of his nose, looked at Rick then back to Miriya and unsure of himself replied, "Yes…Captain."

Miriya's green eyes narrowed as she asked, "And does being responsible for the safety of Admiral Hunter include allowing him to fly an Alpha from the Master controls considering the circumstances of the last few days?"

Now feeling very hot, Max tugged at the suddenly too tight collar of his blue and white flight suit and stammered, "Well, I didn't see…that is there was no…I just…"

He was interrupted when Lisa looked at Max and said coldly, "That's enough Captain." She turned her intense gaze to her husband and asked, "Admiral, you were in control of the aircraft on the return trip?"

He nodded, knowing that he did everything by the book. _"Unless she knows about the takeoff"_, he thought worriedly.

Lisa smirked and said, "So Admiral, is switching to Guardian configuration on the runway and taking off in a vertical ascent at full throttle a recommended and safe practice for an Alpha?"

Rick winced. Seeing his reaction she commented, "Am I to assume then, that that means 'no'?"

Without waiting for an answer she looked at Max first, then Rick and then Max again. She said matter-of-factly, "I warned you both of the consequences for fooling around on this joyride. Your punishment Captain has been meted out." As if to emphasize the seriousness of the situation, Miriya stepped closer to Max, who was acutely aware of the very unpleasant scowl on her usually very pleasant features.

Lisa stepped closer to Rick, close enough for him to catch her agonizingly sensual scent, and said ominously, "Your punishment Admiral, has begun and will continue for as long as I see fit. Now, if you please, go and change. Jean is waiting for us in the infirmary to give you a check up. I'll be along momentarily."

All Rick could say was, "Yes, ma'am."

The ladies parted to give the two men access to the hatch, and Max and Rick took no time to move past them and out the door. As the door closed behind them, Lisa and Miriya could hear Max say in an amusedly annoyed whisper, "You just had to show off didn't you…"

Lisa and Miriya waited until they were sure that their husbands were far enough away before turning to each other and breaking out in almost hysterical laughter.

After a half-minute of this Lisa finally managed to say, "I told you they wouldn't be able to do it."

Miriya reined in her own laughter and said, "Indeed Lisa." She let loose another giggle as she remembered and said, "The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless."

Lisa smiled and said, "We better get going before they think we weren't serious."

She opened the door, stepped through and started walking. Miriya came up beside her and asked hopefully, "Lisa, we're not going to punish them for too long are we?"

Lisa put her right arm around he friend's waist and said honestly, "No Miriya, I don't think I could handle punishing Rick like that for long."

"I couldn't either. Max touches lips wonderfully."

Again the friends laughed merrily, as they continued on their way…


	11. Chapter 11

K71- That's the way it happens to me, so I may as well make it happen to Max and Rick too. :)

Sphersian- Yes.

Adena- Again, that's the way it happens to me…. In regards to the humor, thanks.

Gppr- AU.

Thank you all for the comments. Please continue with them.

I gave Sue a full name in this chapter, just to make something sound official. I have no idea where it came from; nowhere really.

Up, up and away…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Lisa said good-bye to Miriya outside her quarters and went inside to collect Rick to go to his checkup with Jean. Not finding him in the living room or kitchen she headed into the bedroom, where she could hear the shower running in their bathroom. She looked at the bed and saw that he had taken out the pair of jeans that she thought looked incredible on him, and a white loose fitting t-shirt to wear.

"_If I stay in here and wait"_, she thought to herself, _"he'll try something romantic to try to make me forget that I'm supposed to be mad at him." _Her heart fluttered at the possibilities. _"Would that be a bad thing?"_, she asked herself. She thought about it for a second and shook her head._ "No Lisa, be strong for a little while."_ She smiled and thought, _"At least until Jean says that he's okay."_

Approving of his choice of clothing and hearing the shower turn off, she scurried out to the living room to wait for him to get dressed.

She sat on the couch and tried very hard not to imagine him stepping out of the shower, water running down his chest. She shook her head to clear the images out of her mind and remembered the look on his face when she asked him about the takeoff from Tirol. It brought a cheerful smile to her face.

She had spent most of the time between Jean's departure from her quarters and going to the hangar with Miriya thinking and rethinking about everything that happened to her and Rick recently, namely Sue Graham, and as she waited for Rick now her thoughts once again headed down that rocky road.

She hadn't really come up with any solutions to the problem that Graham had become. In fact, Lisa was at a loss to know what to do. She didn't trust Graham to just go away on her own or leave Rick alone. Her actions in the cave proved that. She couldn't just give her the thrashing that she thought Graham deserved. She couldn't reassign or transfer her out of Fleet Intelligence without risking the viability of the division. The options were severely limited.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Rick walked through the bedroom door into the living room. He had the blue jeans on, but the button and zipper had yet to be done up and he had not yet pulled on the white shirt.

"_I knew he'd try something."_ Lisa hid the smile that threatened to take over her lips and thought dreamily, _"I wonder what he would have done if I had stayed in there."_

She looked at him, shirtless and still not totally dry and asked wryly, "Are we ready yet?"

He lifted the shirt and pulled it down over his head and his eyes found hers. He neatly tucked the shirt inside his jeans and slowly, deliberately pulled up the zipper and fastened the button.

Lisa didn't see any of it as she had locked her emerald eyes onto his eyes. Focusing on his eyes worked and her pretend annoyance remained intact.

Rick saw that his little ploy hadn't succeeded and resigned himself to the notion that Lisa was going to make good on her threat.

He stood in front of her and held out his hand to her for her to take. "Let's go baby, we shouldn't keep Jean waiting."

She took his hand and he gently pulled her up to him. She was excruciatingly close to him and she could see the raw emotions in his eyes, the want, the desire, the passion and the love.

She forced herself to look and move away from him towards the door. When she reached it and opened it, she stood there with her left hand on the door and her right hand on the top of her hip, waiting for him.

He sighed and walked to the door hesitating only slightly as he passed her, not noticing as he did the smile that finally came onto her face.

She hid the smile again as she exited their quarters and caught up to Rick. He decided to try something else, and held out his right arm for her to take.

"_Damn"_, she thought almost resentfully. _"He knows I have never refused to take his arm like that."_ She didn't this time either, and as she put her left arm through the loop that he had made with his own, she looked at his face for any hint of satisfaction or smugness. In fact, much to her surprise, all she could see was relief in his handsome features.

They walked for several minutes and it dawned on her that perhaps she was being a little too rough on him, that perhaps he thought she was seriously mad at him. _"Poor thing"_, she thought pitifully. _"He's been through so much. Oh well, Miriya, I held on as long as I could."_

"Rick…", she began softly at the exact moment that he quietly said, "Lisa…"

They stopped in the middle of the corridor, looked at each other and laughed together. She tightened her hold on his arm and with a nod of her head motioned for them to keep walking. As they did she moved in as close as she could and placed her head against his shoulder, her long brown locks resting on the front of his shoulder.

He brought his free hand up to hold her hand and said quietly, "I'm sorry for not totally behaving myself down there. I …I don't know, I went a little crazy, and I guess being in the cockpit again brought out my fighter jock invincibility complex. I know I was wrong to take off like that. I promised you I would be good, and I broke that promise. I'm so sorry."

The sincerity in his voice almost brought Lisa to tears, but she managed to keep them from falling. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze and said, "It's okay Rick. It's not like you flew recklessly or anything." She brought her head off his shoulder and looked at him with laughter in her eyes. "Besides, I must confess you showed considerable restraint for the most part. I was quite impressed."

He smiled at her, but as they took another couple of steps the smile turned into something else. First confusion, then realization and lastly annoyance.

He stopped walking, letting go of her as she continued on for another step. The thoughts rang out in rapid succession in his head in that order. _"What does she mean she was impressed? She knew I was going to do something even before I did. Wait a second, if she was impressed, then why is she so mad? Lisa, you little vixen!"_

Standing a step away from him she noticed the change in his facial expression and realized at once that he knew she had fooled around with him. She smiled, as he looked at her now with an odd mixture of annoyance, awe and knowledge in his baby blue eyes. _"Oh, oh"_, she thought. _"Here it comes."_

Rick opened his mouth and after several attempts asked incredulously, "You got me all worked up as… as a joke?" His face turned serious and terribly sad at the same time. "I thought you were really mad at me. I thought…" He turned away from her so that all she could see was his back. He continued with his voice little more than a whisper, "I thought that I really hurt you with that stunt, that you…"

He faltered and brought his right hand up to his face in an act of agony. Lisa could stand it no longer and moved to him, placing her arms around his waist and laying her head against his back. "I'm not angry Rick, I was just trying to teach you a little lesson."

She felt him take a deep, shaky breath and released him. She put her delicate right hand on his left shoulder, turned him around to face her and…promptly slapped his arm when she saw the broad smile on his face.

"You rat!", she exclaimed and turned to walk away from him.

He stopped her by grabbing her hand. He pulled her close to him and placed his arms around her waist. He hugged her in a gentle yet unbreakable embrace, and she placed her own arms around his neck. "Stop teasing me!", he exclaimed in a loud whisper, and he kissed her lovely lips. After a few seconds he leaned back to look at her, not really totally certain as to what to expect from her next.

"I'm sorry, Lisa."

"I'm sorry too, Rick."

A third voice entered their conversation by saying with some amusement, "I'm sorry too…for interrupting."

Jean was looking at Rick and Lisa with a bemused smile on her round face. The three friends laughed and Rick released Lisa, again offering his arm to her, which she again took. Jean held open the door to the infirmary as the couple entered. They hadn't even noticed that they had arrived at their destination.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a minute. Exam room one", she told them, and they went to the end of the infirmary's main corridor to where the room was located. They went inside, and Rick sat on the edge of the examination bed. Lisa stood in front of him, facing him and when he got comfortable she reached in and gave him a long and very deep kiss, telling him that his punishment was over and she was sorry at the same time. She didn't relinquish her hold on his lips until she heard the door open and someone walk in.

As they parted, Jean looked at them with false irritation and stated, "Well, it's useless to check your blood pressure and pulse for a little while."

It wasn't until Jean saw the shades of pink grace both their cheeks that she allowed her own expression to soften and she laughed.

Twenty minutes later, after going over Rick as thoroughly as she knew how and asking a battery of questions, Jean pronounced to the two of them, "He's fine, and going to be fine. I'd still like for you to take another couple of days before going back to work though, if you think you can handle your wife's company that is." She winked at Lisa who just smiled at her. Jean continued, "Nurse Anderson reports no problems with her exams, and everything now seems to back to normal. Congratulations."

Rick jumped off the bed and gave Jean a warm hug saying, "Thanks Jean."

As Rick released her she said, "Nothing to thank me for. Thank that rock hard head of yours. Now, get out of here so I can treat some real patients."

Rick grabbed Lisa's hand and nearly dragged her to the door, but he stopped when they reached it. As suddenly as he had grabbed her hand, he released it and went back to Jean.

Lisa watched curiously as Rick placed both his hands on Jean's shoulders and brought her close enough to him to whisper in her ear. He whispered to her for a few moments and as he did a wonderful smile came over Jean's face. When he was finished he leaned back and looked at her as she stated in a medically professional voice loud enough for Lisa to hear, "I see no reason why you should continue to refrain from that activity, Admiral. There is no medical reason whatsoever."

The relief and thanks in Rick's voice was evident. "Thank you Doctor."

Rick returned to where he left Lisa by the door and held out his arm, again, which she took, again. He opened the door and they walked out, and all Jean heard was Lisa ask, "What was that about?", and Rick's giddy response, "You'll see."

They walked through the infirmary, returning greetings and salutes, totally oblivious to the scowl that was easily discernable on the face of one on Jean's most trusted subordinates, a young medic by the name of Marques.

Ten minutes later they came to their door which Rick opened, allowing Lisa to go in first. Rick had refused to even give her the slightest hint as to what Rick had whispered to Jean in the infirmary, and it was driving her nuts. She had had enough of it and whirled around to demand that Rick tell her what he whispered to Jean.

She got more than she bargained for when instead of asking Rick her question she received the most love filled kiss she had ever gotten. Rick moved his arms to her waist, slowly rubbing his hands along her sides as he moved them around her, where he started to lovingly caress her back. His lips were soft against her own lips and she probably would have gone to the floor, first in shock, then from pleasure if he hadn't been holding her.

Her own pent up desires took control over her body as she brought her hands up to his neck. She started her right hand up his neck into his hairline, letting her fingers run through his dark hair and she let her hand stay there on the back of head, lest he tried to move away from her and she had to stop him.

Then however, in a last ditch push, her mind screamed at her a most unpleasant thought. _"He's injured … we shouldn't be …I've got to stop…"_

She released him and tried to move away, but his grip around her hourglass waist held. He looked at her, his blue eyes locking onto her green ones and asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?" He knew what she was going to say.

Breathless herself and still in the throes of interrupted passion, Lisa replied dazedly, "I'm not sure we should… I don't know if you… I'm not sure I can stop…"

He kissed the tip of her nose, interrupting her and giving her an extra second to calm down so that what he was about to say to her registered fully. "That's the question I whispered to Jean, and you heard what she said." He did a very bad imitation of Jean's voice and said, "'I see no reason why you should continue to refrain from that activity, Admiral. There is no medical reason whatsoever.'" He smiled and said playfully, "I think you know what activity that is. No excuses, Admiral. I want you." His eyes were full of love and desire and he continued softly, "I need you."

He was about to say something else but Lisa stopped him by finally breaking out of his embrace. As she slowly backed towards the bedroom door, she looked at him with a devilish grin and began to teasingly tug her shirt up out of her jeans, slowly undoing the bottom button, then the next and the next.

Rick's eyebrows went up as high as they could go on his forehead as she disappeared from his sight, and when he noticed that she had turned on the lamp by their bed he moved to follow her into he bedroom.

By the time he got there she was already seated at the foot of the bed, all of the buttons undone and her shirt opened revealing her flat stomach and ample chest, nearly driving Rick into a frenzy.

He went to the bed and knelt down in front of her, and as she brought her hands up to his neck again he gently kissed the right side of her chest just below her collarbone, slowly working his kissing up to that sensitive spot by her ear, causing her to tense up and moan his name after only a couple of seconds.

"_Like magic"_, he thought blissfully.

After getting the reaction from her that he wanted, he leaned back to look at her. "I love you Lisa, completely and forever."

She moved her hands to each side of his face and repeated the words that she had said to him on that fateful day those many years ago in New Macross. "I love you. I always have, and I always will." With that she brought his face to hers and kissed him passionately. For the rest of the night Rick proved to her that Jean was right and they were together, truly and fully together in body and soul, like there was no tomorrow.

----------------------------------

Lt. Sue Graham stretched out her right arm, trying for what must have been the hundredth time in the last three days to get rid of the kink that had embedded itself in her bicep when she pulled Rick into the cave on the moon. It wasn't painful enough to warrant a visit to the infirmary, although her friend, Lt. Angela Marques, had tried to get her down there to get it looked at by Dr. Grant. It was just damned annoying.

She was in her quarters getting ready to head to her office in Fleet Intelligence. It had been five days since Lisa Hunter's visit to her quarters with her warning to stay away from her husband. The blazing reminder of that visit on her left cheek had faded considerably and was now concealable with makeup. After applying the cosmetics she inspected her handy work in the bathroom mirror.

"_Not bad"_, she thought to herself with satisfaction.

She was eager to get back to work. The day after the MED, Major Woods had come to her quarters and ordered her to take a couple of days off for rest after her ordeal during the MED. She felt she was fine and only reluctantly relented after Woods made it an order. In her opinion, rest was the last thing that she needed, as all it did was give her time to think… and to remember.

Countless times over the last few days she remembered her time with Rick Hunter in that dimly lit cave, and the loving way he looked at her, the sweet way he talked to her, the passionate way he kissed her and the eager way he touched her. Her heart ached for his touch, and without the distraction that work would have afforded her the aching was given an opportunity to make itself felt more and more.

Remembering yet again she thought to herself, _"I have never felt more like woman than I did when he touched me." _She shook herself out of reverie and checked herself over in the mirror one more time. Still satisfied, she headed to the door and was about to open it when someone knocked.

She opened it to find her good friend, Lt. Angela Marques. Angela Marques was actually a long time friend of Andrea Grace, but when Grace became Graham's friend at basic training, it was only natural that Marques and Graham became friends as well. Besides, the three women had a lot in common. All were single, late twenty-something, beautiful women, who joined the REF due to a lack of better options. There were no noble or heroic reasons for joining. All three had parents that either hadn't been around or just didn't care, which meant that from an early time in their lives they had to at least partially fend for themselves. They were three peas in a pod. They were survivors. Marques, like Graham and Grace, had had less than desirable outcomes with the men she had been with, and all three decided that they weren't at fault for any of it. Lately however, the three women were united in the belief that Sue Graham belonged with Admiral Rick Hunter, and all three had made a pact to make it happen.

She smiled and said, "Hello Angela. I'm sorry but I'm on my way out to the office. If you're free for lunch…"

Without preamble, Marques stated, "Admiral Hunter came in for a check up late yesterday. He collapsed the night Dr. Grant released him from the infirmary."

That got Graham's attention, as Marques knew it would. She walked in and Graham closed the door as she too, came back into the cabin. Also like Graham, Marques had an athletic body that made most men either jealous at her conditioning or drool with desire. Depended on the man. She sat her athletic form down on the end of the beige couch and tucked her short reddish-orange hair behind her right ear with her long slender index finger. Her brown eyes watched Graham as she sat across from her in the gray recliner. Graham opened her mouth to speak, but still in shock she wasn't able to utter a syllable.

Marques took it as her cue to explain, and she started. "The Admirals Hunter came in late yesterday for a checkup. Dr. Grant gave him the checkup and they left, apparently all was well. Dr. Grant keeps detailed notes on everything, so when she left I took a peek at his chart. The exam went well and he shows no after effects of the concussion."

She paused as she saw the immense relief flash over her friend's face, but it took only a second for it to be replaced by confusion. Graham managed, "He collapsed?"

Marques nodded. "According to Dr. Grant's notes, Lisa told her yesterday that he had collapsed after going home from the infirmary, the night after you guys were rescued from the moon. Before you ask why, all her notes said was that his collapse was induced by extreme stress. No details about what the stress was." Marques leaned back into the couch, allowing what she had just told her friend to sink in. She figured Graham would be upset by the news. _"Yep"_, she thought upon seeing the tears form in Graham's hazel eyes, _"She's got it bad for him. Very bad."_

The tears in Graham's eyes never really amounted to much, as her sadness was replaced by anger, anger at Lisa Hunter for putting him under enough stress after his injury to make him collapse. She looked at Marques and asked angrily, "What is her problem?"

Graham stood up and began to pace back and forth between the door and the recliner she had just vacated. Her pacing was the steady pacing of anger and the more she thought about Lisa and how she could have caused him so much pain, the speed of her pacing increased until Marques became worried.

"Sue, calm down. He's fine", she said, though she knew it was futile to try to get her to calm down now. She was already beyond the point of reasonable discussion and her anger seemed to be growing with each length of her living room.

"What did she do, Angie? What could she have done to get him so stressed out that he would collapse? Extreme stress?"

Marques could only shake her head and say sorrowfully, "I don't know Sue. Like I said, Dr. Grant's notes weren't specific. I'm not sure Lisa brought on the stress though, they seemed pretty smitten with each other when they came in and even more so when they left." Marques knew Graham didn't want to hear it, but maybe she needed to.

There was another knock on Graham's door, and Marques jumped up to answer it, afraid her wound up friend would do or say something to whoever was at the door that she shouldn't do or say. Graham continued her angry pacing.

Marques opened the door and Lt. Andrea Grace said, "Hey Sue, how are you…Angie?"

Marques smiled and said as she moved aside to let Grace in, "She's not a happy person right now."

Grace stepped in enough to allow Marques to close the door and just stared at the very angry looking Sue Graham. She had stopped her pacing and was again sitting in the recliner, but the smoldering look of anger was still easily detectable.

Grace and Marques went to the couch and sat down, with Marques on the end of the couch and Grace in the middle.

She looked back and forth between her two friends, but realizing Graham was still upset settled upon Marques and waited for an explanation of what was happening. Marques told Grace the story as she had told it to Graham moments before, and when she had finished Grace had an understanding look on her face. She understood why Graham was so upset.

All of a sudden Graham stood up, started heading for the door and said determinedly, "I have to go see him."

Grace and Marques both stood up and exclaimed simultaneously, "No!"

They looked at each other, but didn't laugh. Instead they looked at each other for a moment and silently tried to decide which one of them could probably best get through to Graham.

Marques nodded and Grace approached her friend. "Not yet, Sue. We have to find out as much as we can. Sue?" Graham finally looked at Grace. "Sue, we have to be patient. We'll find out what happened, if Lisa did this or what. All right Sue?"

Sue Graham stood in the middle of her living room, almost in the same spot that Lisa Hunter had decked her, and forced herself to take some deep breaths and calm down. She knew her friends wouldn't tell her not to do something without a good reason, so she looked at them and said calmly, "Okay, Andrea. I wait… for now." She looked at the clock over her door and said, "I have to go to the office. I'm late as it is. See you guys for lunch?"

Marques said, "You bet", as Grace said, "Absolutely."

Graham gave her friends a quick hug and left her quarters, leaving Grace and Marques inside.

Marques looked at Grace and said, "Find out what you can, Andrea. I'll see what more I can find out too."

Grace nodded her head and she asked Marques, "What do you think Angie? Did Lisa send him over the edge?"

Marques shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I don't know. But if it was something she did, he sure wasn't holding a grudge against her from what I saw yesterday."

Lt. Andrea Grace looked at Lt. Angela Marques and gave her a short evil laugh after which she remarked seriously, "If it was something Lisa did to make him collapse, he won't need to hold a grudge. Sue will hold it for him."

As she headed for the door, Marques nodded her agreement. "No kidding", she said as she opened the door.

----------------------------------

Sue had barely left her quarters for the few days that she wasn't able to work. Once or twice she joined her friends in the Mess, and several times she just went for a little walk around the very sizable ship. Accordingly, her interaction with the rest of the crew over the previous few days was minimal.

It came as a shock to her when almost everyone she met on the way to her office did something to congratulate or honor her. They either saluted, whether she outranked them or not, or said something along the lines of 'Well done Lieutenant', or 'Good work Lieutenant'. There was even one officer who stopped her, shook her hand and thanked her for getting Rick out of there.

She was feeling a little embarrassed and silly at all of the attention. She turned the corner and finally saw the doors to Fleet Intelligence and quickened her pace to get there before anyone else could see her. She went inside and let the doors close behind her. She leaned back against the door, closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The last of her warm breath had exited her body through her mouth when she heard someone holler, "Attention on deck!"

Her military training kicked in automatically as she came to attention. She looked forward and saw Major Woods facing her ten feet away, and behind him was the entire Fleet Intelligence staff lined up in three rows, all facing her. A part of her mind processed that it was Woods' voice that sounded the call to attention.

Woods looked at Sue and allowed a small smile appear on his face and he whispered, "Not you, Lieutenant."

Graham was shocked as his meaning came to her: they were honoring her, much like almost everyone else on her trip to Fleet Intelligence did.

She was still trying to figure it all out when Woods cleared his throat and said in a loud voice, "Lieutenant Susan Belinda Graham, for actions of heroism and courage in the face of extreme danger and overwhelming odds, and for your actions in the rescue of Admiral Rick Hunter, it is my honor to announce to you and your fellow Fleet Intelligence comrades that you have received the REF Citation for Valor."

Fleet Intelligence erupted in thunderous applause as Woods approached Graham and handed her a certificate indicating her award.

Still not believing the entire situation she looked down at the paper and read it to herself. _"The Robotech Expeditionary Force Citation for Valor. Awarded to Susan B. Graham for acts of bravery and courage above and beyond the call of duty."_

She was so stunned by it all that she never noticed that the clapping had ceased and that Major Woods only stepped back a pace or two. Graham was about to speak when Woods stopped her by saying in a low voice, "I'm not finished, Lieutenant."

Now truly without a clue, Graham stood there and neglected to close her mouth as Woods proceeded to say, "Furthermore, because of your aforementioned acts of bravery and for your all around exemplary military service, it is also my honor and privilege to announce to you and your comrades that you, Susan B. Graham, have been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, effective immediately." He flashed her a big, genuine smile and said sincerely, "Congratulations, Commander."

Someone behind him shouted, "Company, salute!" With that, everyone in Fleet Intelligence saluted their newest Commander, even Major Woods.

Dazed, Commander Sue Graham returned their salutes and managed to say, "Thank you, sir." Then louder, "Thank you everyone."

Woods stepped forward to shake her hand. As she took his hand he looked at her and said jovially, "Well said Lieuten…I mean, Commander. Your new rank pins are waiting for you on your desk."

He released her hand and moved to go to his office, and as he did her colleagues all came up to congratulate her. It took fifteen minutes for her to get to her office and when she finally shut her door, she nearly collapsed. She managed to get to her chair, and when she sat down her hazel eyes gazed upon her new rank pins. _"Lt. Commander?"_, she asked herself. She leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes. _"Lt. Commander"_, she said to herself again, this time more confidently as she became used to the idea.

She smiled and her thoughts drifted to Rick.

A serene look came over her beautiful face and she said softly, "I'm sure he's proud of me."


	12. Chapter 12

k71- We'll have to wait and see, but I do have an idea…

I love writing the romance; it's my favorite part too, and thanks for the nice words.

LisaVang- Thanks, and no, I don't watch Desperate Housewives. :)

Aiki- Thanks. I always assumed after the series that they would be like that forever, not the stuff McKinney sold us. I think McKinney was dead wrong.

Adena- "Stepped over the crazy line." I like that, and thank you.

Sphersian- See the first part of my response to k71. :)

In the meantime, on with the show…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

She crumpled the piece of paper in her trembling hand and said in a loud voice that was shocked and angry, "Promoted! You can't be serious!"

Miriya looked at Lisa and said sympathetically, "I am afraid so, Lisa. It came over the wire this morning, as the saying goes." It was 1800 hours, and it was the first chance she had gotten to see Lisa all day.

Jean looked at Lisa and said worriedly, "Calm down, Lisa. Getting upset like that isn't going to do you any good."

They were in Lisa and Rick's quarters, sitting around the table. The boys were off in the gym for a very light workout, and Miriya felt compelled to take the time and be the one to break the news to Lisa about Graham's promotion and award. Just in case Lisa really got upset, she asked Jean to join her as her back up.

She was glad she did.

Lisa opened the paper up to look at it again. She read aloud, 'for acts of bravery and courage above and beyond the call of duty' my sweet…" She took a deep breath. "It's signed by the chief of REF intelligence and Forsythe."

She couldn't blame either of them of course, and she realized it. All they knew were her record and her actions in the rescue of her husband. If it was her and she didn't know anything about Graham's attempted seduction of Rick, she would have done the same thing.

"_It sure as hell don't make me feel any better though",_ she thought bitterly.

She looked into the concerned eyes of her friends and calmed down considerably. She said resignedly, "Well, there isn't anything I can do about it, is there?"

Jean smiled and said soothingly, "No Lisa, there isn't. People think she did a very brave thing, and to a point they are right. She did pull him out of the shuttle and let you and Max know where to find them."

Lisa nodded and said, "I know Jean. It's just so frustrating…" She stopped and took another deep breath. She looked at them and her voice was soft as she said, "I don't know what to do. What can I do?" She hid her face in her hands and tried desperately to keep from screaming. As Jean and Miriya moved to her, Jean placed her hand on Lisa's right arm and Miriya placed her hand on Lisa's left shoulder, trying to show her their support.

It was then that the door opened and three sweaty, smelly men entered the cabin. They were laughing about something that Vince had said, but the laughter died suddenly when they realized something was wrong.

Rick bolted to Lisa, only sparing the tiniest glance at Miriya and Jean as they moved away towards their husbands.

He knelt down and moved her hands from her face. He looked into her eyes and asked quietly, "What's wrong, Lisa?"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.

He hugged her back and said into her ear, "It's okay baby."

Lisa saw Miriya and Jean give their husbands a look and they turned to leave.

"No", Lisa said to them and they stopped.

She leaned back to look at Rick, and when she saw the concern in his eyes she smiled the most heart-warming smile. She caressed his clammy cheek with her hand and said confidently, "I'm okay." It was then, touching his damp cheek, that she realized her husband's physical state. She coughed as the bitter scent of perspiration invaded her airway and pinched her nose saying, "You stink, Rick."

The room was filled with laughter from all quarters as Rick and Lisa both stood up.

When the laughter died down she looked at her friends and said, "Please sit down."

They did as she asked, with Miriya and Jean sitting on either end of the couch, Max taking the chair next to the couch and Vince taking the recliner, which faced the couch. Rick brought over a chair from the table to sit on and Lisa, realizing what Jean and Miriya had done, sat between them on the couch.

She appreciated their support more than she could possibly tell them, though she reminded herself to at least try later to make them understand.

Though she spoke to all of the men, she was looking at Rick. "Sue Graham has received a commendation for valor and a promotion to Lieutenant Commander." Max and Vince looked at each other, shocked, and Rick took on the air of someone who finally understood why his wife was so disturbed moments earlier.

Max leaned back into his chair, pushed his glasses up and whistled. "Wow." He looked back and forth between Rick and Lisa and said, "Lieutenant Commander? How could that happen? I mean, I assume that neither one of you signed off on it."

Rick remained still and said nothing, letting Lisa answer for them both. "No, but Captain Forsythe has the authority to approve it, and he did. And I have no problem with that."

She looked at Rick. His eyes were betraying the same frustration that she was feeling.

Vince was the one to break the silence, and when he spoke his deep voice spoke the cold hard truth. "We're stuck with her then, aren't we?"

The silence spoke volumes. After several more seconds of awkward silence Max looked at Lisa and said, "We'll do what we can to help, Lisa." He turned to Rick and said for his benefit, "Anything you need, Boss."

There were nods of agreement from Miriya, Jean and Vince, and Lisa and Rick couldn't help but be touched by the sentiments. Both of them knew however, that there was very little that could be done, perhaps even nothing.

Trying to lighten the mood, Lisa turned the conversation to another topic, and after only a few more moments the vinegary stench of sweat forced everyone to scatter to their respective cabins.

Lisa sat at the table as she waited for Rick to shower, thinking again about what could be done to neutralize Sue Graham, and again her thoughts amounted to nothing. She was sitting with her hands folded underneath her chin and her elbows resting on the table, almost holding her up and she was so deep in thought that she never heard Rick come up behind her.

When Rick was behind Lisa, he slowly reached his hands out and placed one on each of her shoulders. Lisa lowered her hands to the table in relief as he started to rub her knotted up shoulders, his strong hands doing the most wonderful job of ridding her of the tension that had been building there over the last few hours. Slowly, methodically, he moved his hands across the top part of her back, beginning at the shoulders and working his way to the middle of her back and out again, massaging the kinks out all the way.

She let out a little moan of satisfaction and leaned her head forward to give him easier access to her neck. Taking his cue, Rick moved her hair to one side and then brought his hands to the sides of her neck, his fingers rubbing away the tenseness on the sides and his thumbs on the back of her neck.

"You're hired", she said softly, and as he hit a tender spot she quietly grunted in a mixture of pain and relief.

He smiled and replied jokingly, "It's nice to know I've got something to fall back on in case this Admiral thing doesn't pan out."

She laughed at him and brought her hands up to take his, locking her own fingers with his. She brought their joined hands down to rest on her chest and said, "Thank you."

He kissed the top of her head, and after taking a second to breathe in her wonderful fragrance he replied, "Anytime baby. Anytime."

----------------------------------

Lisa was as emotionally drained from thinking and worrying about Graham as Rick was physically exhausted from his workout, so a short time later they decided to turn in early. Rick held Lisa lovingly as she fell asleep, but he just couldn't get to sleep himself. He gently released Lisa and slowly, quietly got out of bed. He found the clothes he had discarded when he got ready for bed and took them into the living room where he turned on the light and put them back on. He sat down in the recliner and began to think.

He thought about that night in the Sit. Room that seemed to be the start of this roller coaster nightmare he and Lisa now found themselves on. He also thought about the MED and the events that happened in that dark cave.

In other words, he thought about Sue Graham.

"_What does she want from me?"_, he asked himself in a questioning tone. _"Get a grip Rick, you know what she wants…she wants you."_

When he had rebuffed her advance in the Sit. Room, he honestly thought that that was the end of it. He made himself perfectly clear that he loved his wife and nothing could happen between him and Graham. What else could he have done?

"_Nothing, I did what I could"_, he thought, though not really convincingly.

He shook his head. _"I should have listened to Lisa, instead of thinking she was a little paranoid, especially after_ _Graham started doing the EoDs._ _I should have let Lisa and Max transfer her to the Jupiter Division."_

He stood up and yelled at himself. _"Enough should haves, could haves and did nots, Rick! Lisa is hurting, because I couldn't control a situation that I should have been able to handle."_

His thoughts returned to the woman he loved and the pain she was in now. He sat back down on the couch and folded his hands on his lap. A couple of times since the Sit. Room Incident, he caught Lisa looking in the mirror, examining an alleged wrinkle or imagined blemish. There was nothing there of course, she was still as beautiful ever. But with a younger, beautiful woman seemingly competing for him Lisa's self confidence was taking a very palpable hit. It had been the same way for a long time after they had first gotten together. She had constantly compared her physical attributes to those of Minmei, and with Lisa being Lisa in those days, she always thought that her beauty wasn't even close to that of the music star. It had really hurt him to know that she thought that way.

It was killing him now.

She hadn't exactly commented on Graham's looks in relation to her own, but Rick could tell that the comparison was being made, and he knew that like those many years ago Lisa was selling herself way too short.

It had taken a very heartfelt talk from him back then, to get Lisa to rid herself of the insecurities she felt about her own looks and Minmei's. It was a few weeks after the destruction of the SDF-1, and after seeing another interview of Minmei on the television in which she practiced a little revisionist history about her and Rick's relationship, Rick heard Lisa mumble something at the mirror in her bathroom.

He remembered:

_'You'll always be older than her Lisa, and you'll never be as beautiful', she had said to her reflection_.

_The last part made Rick snap and he went into the bathroom, grabbed a startled Lisa by her hand and dragged her into the living room. When they got to the center of the room he released her and moved a couple of steps away. He turned to face her and said, 'Okay Lisa, let's finish this, once and for all.'_

_He could see the surprise in her eyes, but he continued. 'I never want to hear you compare yourself to anyone ever again. It's not fair to everyone else because you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my whole life. And I have lived my life, so I know what I'm talking about. But if you feel you must, let's have at it this one last time. What about Minmei do you think is beautiful?'_

_Stunned, Lisa couldn't say anything. _

_Rick gave her another few seconds and spoke again. 'Come on, Lisa, what about Minmei is beautiful?'_

_Lisa lowered her gaze to the floor and said quietly, 'Her eyes.'_

_She looked at Rick, hoping he would end the embarrassment, but he just said, 'Keep going.'_

'_What do you want me to say, Rick? Everything. Everything about Minmei is beautiful. Her eyes, her hair, her body, everything.'_

_Rick looked at her and said, 'Fair enough. What about you isn't beautiful?'_

_That question made Lisa laugh. She was about to speak when he moved closer to her. He answered for her softly, 'Everything about you is beautiful, Lisa.'_

_He moved to stand right in front of her and took some of her hair gently in his right hand. He took in the delicate scent of it and then held it against his cheek. "Your hair, Lisa, smells like roses all the time and feels as soft as silk all day, every day. And the color, the color of your hair reminds me of the color of the trees in the forests where I grew up. Absolutely gorgeous.'_

_He soldiered on. 'Your eyes, your beautiful green eyes, remind me of emeralds. And I know you have never noticed all those times that you looked in the mirror, but they sparkle with the most brilliant light I have ever seen, like the sun is bouncing off of each of them all the time.' He paused for a second and added when he noticed the tears building up in her eyes, 'Even when there are tears in those beautiful eyes, they sparkle.' _

'_Rick…'_

_He interrupted her by touching her nose with his finger and her ear with his other hand. 'Your ears and nose are perfect Lisa. Perfect.' He brought his index finger down from her nose and ran it along her lower lip. 'And those lips', he said as he reached in and gave her a gentle kiss, 'taste as sweet as chocolate and look so perfect.' He looked at her and laughed a little as he said, 'Except maybe when you get nervous and chew on the bottom one like you're doing now.'_

_She blushed furiously and it gave him another point to make, not that he needed another one. 'And when you blush, those perfect cheekbones light up like pink beacons, only adding to your radiance.'_

_He felt her cheek and said, 'Your skin. I can't even describe how beautiful your skin is, the color, the feel, I just can't find the words.'_

_He took her hands in his and said, 'These hands, so delicate and so strong at the same time.' He kissed each hand and held them to his chest. 'Beautiful.'_

'_Your body, Lisa, toned muscles and athletic curves. It's enough to drive any man insane with it's beauty.'_

_He moved closer to her, so close that when he spoke and his lips moved, they brushed against hers._

_'You're the most beautiful woman I have ever known, Lisa Hayes, and I haven't even mentioned…"_

_She kissed him with those perfect lips with an intensity he hadn't felt from her before, and when she stopped she looked at him. Love filled her emerald eyes and she said adoringly, 'Thank you', before she kissed him again._

Rick opened his eyes, not even sure how long ago he had closed them and smiled at the memory. She had never again said she wasn't beautiful, and he hadn't seen her insecure about her physical attractiveness after that.

That is until now.

Thinking of Lisa hurting spurred him on._ "I can't let that happen."_

He looked at the clock, which read 2241 hours.

"_I wonder if Max is still awake"_, he thought. He got up, and after writing Lisa a short note telling her where he had gone in case she woke up and missed him, he left to go to Max's quarters.

----------------------------------

Sue Graham was in her quarters getting ready for bed, still marveling at the days events.

"_A citation for valor and a promotion in one morning"_, she thought happily, _"it doesn't get much better than that." _As she had that thought though, her mind registered that there was in fact one way in which it could have been much better. "_If only Rick would have been there with me."_

She smiled at the thought of him, and as she imagined him being with her as she received her promotion, a warmth spread throughout her body, a glorious loving warmth. She sat down on the edge of her bed and undid the belt of the robe she had put on after getting out of the shower. Her midnight black hair was still wet, and as she started to dry it in a towel there was a knock on her door. She looked at the clock next to her bed: 2315 hours.

"_Who could that be at this hour?"_, she thought. She knew it wouldn't be Andrea or Angela; she had only left them an hour earlier in Grace's quarters where they held a little surprise celebration for her.

She retied the belt around her robe and paused at the door to check herself out, making sure she was at least presentable. Believing that under the circumstances her appearance was more than reasonable, she reached for the door handle and turned it.

The door opened to show her a vision, a vision she had been waiting for a very long time to see.

----------------------------------

After finding out that no one was home at Max's place, he went to the hangar bay to discover that both Sterling's were out on patrols. Max always did like the late night patrol runs.

He was heading back to his own quarters when a thought came to him, an extremely dangerous thought. He stopped in the middle of the corridor and said to himself, _"I've got to talk to her"_, and he started walking again, in the opposite direction.

He came to her door and brought his hand up to knock, but he couldn't. He put his hand down and scolded himself. _"What the hell are you afraid of, Rick?"_

He again brought his hand up to knock on the door and this time did just that.

He waited patiently.

Finally, the door opened and he looked at the source of his wife's sadness and his own discomfort, standing there in a bathrobe with her black hair all wet. She was obviously shocked to see him, and after several seconds she found her voice. When she spoke a smile graced her lips and could even be heard in her voice. "Admiral. It's good…very good to see you up and about."

"Thank you, Commander. May I come in?"

"Of course, Admiral."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Commander", Rick said neutrally. As he stepped inside he became acutely aware of the rapid increase in his heart rate and the sweat that now made the shirt he was wearing begin to stick to his back.

"You're not disturbing me, sir."

He turned around abruptly and looked into her eyes. "We have to talk", he said as coldly as he could.

"Of course, sir. Please sit down." Her voice was as warm as his was cold. She had motioned with her right arm to the couch and winced when her arm hit its maximum extension. "Ouch. Sorry sir, I pulled a muscle or something during the MED. Still smarts."

"That won't be necessary, Lieutenant Commander. I won't be long." He looked into her hazel eyes and became lost for just a second. _"I've seen that look somewhere before, in someone else's eyes. What is it? Longing?"_, he thought. To her he said politely, "I'm sorry to hear that. And…thank you, Commander, I understand that you saved my life."

"Think nothing of it, sir. It was my pleasure. Are you sure I can't offer you anything?" As she spoke she stepped closer to him, so that by the time she had finished speaking she was very close to him. He could see how rapidly her heart was beating by the throbbing of the little vein in her temple, she was that close.

He shook himself free of her gaze and said, "No, thank you." He stepped around her, feeling a profound need to be near the door. "Commander, when you kissed me that night in the Situation Room, I told you to never try anything like that again. Do you recall that?"

Rick found it strange, disturbing even, when a small smile came to her lips when he mentioned the Sit. Room.

"Yes, sir."

"Then Commander, can you explain to me what happened in the cave on that moon?"

"Sir?"

"What happened in the cave, Commander?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I treated your head wound and set up the communications gear, sir."

"That's all?", asked Rick.

She hesitated for a second and a look of resignation came over her face. "No sir, that isn't all."

Rick was genuinely surprised. He had expected her to deny what had happened between them in the cave, but it looked as though she was going to take responsibility for her actions. He was almost impressed.

"You kissed me, sir, and began to undress me", she stated as if reading a report. "You said sir, that you wanted to be with me."

Rick was shocked. When he spoke he was calm, but just barely. "Commander, it didn't occur to you that I was injured, or that I wasn't myself?"

"It didn't seem that way at the time, sir"

"I thought you were my wife, Commander, and I know that you had to know that. You knew it and you still…allowed me to kiss you."

She stepped closer to him again, and he could smell the strawberry scent that still permeated her body from her recent shower.

"You were quite…insistent, sir", she said softly. She hadn't planned on doing it this way, but she figured it was just as well to roll with it now. "As a matter of fact sir, I don't recall your wife ever coming up."

"_So much for taking responsibility"_, he thought sourly.

"I called out her name several times, Commander", he said hesitantly. Some very small part of his mind noted that what she was saying couldn't be trusted and wasn't the truth, that he had said Lisa's name several times and that Graham was lying to try to confuse the situation in her favor.

Unfortunately, it was a very small part of his mind and it was being over run by doubt in his own memories.

Sensing the hesitation, she countered, "I'm sorry, sir." She stepped even closer, so that he could feel her breath on his face when she breathed. "Before we kissed and you took off my top, there was no mention of your wife. The only name you said was mine, sir"

She leaned in to kiss him but that blessedly paranoid small part of his brain had hollered for him to watch out and he stepped back before she could make contact.

He turned to take the handle of the door. He wanted to get out of there, badly. But the thought of Lisa, looking in that damn mirror with a sad and hurt look on her face made him stop. He took a deep breath and turned around.

"Rick…" She grabbed him by the arm as he turned and held on tightly. "I don't believe for a second that you didn't enjoy what happened down there! I saw the look of desire, the want and passion in your eyes when you looked at me, Rick. At me! I felt the tenderness in your lips and in your touch when you kissed and touched me. You wanted me, Rick, you wanted me very badly. There is no way that all of that was for Lisa." She touched his chest where his heart was and said, "Somewhere in there, you knew it was me and you wanted it. Why can't you admit it? Why are you trying so hard to convince me that you thought I was Lisa, or are you trying to convince yourself?"

Again she leaned in to kiss him on the lips, but Rick put his hands on her shoulders and held her at bay.

"You're wrong, Sue. Dead wrong." She stepped back as his eyes went cold, and his voice was stern as he pronounced, "Commander, I remember what happened down there. I know that you took advantage of the situation to further your personal ambitions. I know what I thought and what I felt." This time he moved closer to her so that she could not mistake his seriousness and intentions.

"And I'm not trying to convince you of anything, I'm just telling you what I know to be the facts. I thought that I was kissing and undressing my wife. I know that as certainly as I know that I'm talking to you right now. So understand me when I say, Commander, that that is the only reason, the one and only reason, I kissed, touched and undressed you. The tenderness you felt… the love that you felt, was and is for her and her alone."

He let that much sink in for a second and continued, his voice still harsh, "You have lied to me, Commander, and not for the first time. Never do it again. Given the common knowledge of recent events, people around here think you're a hero, that you personify what is good about the REF. We know better, don't we? But morale being what it is, I have to leave this alone. Busting you now and letting people know that the latest hero of the REF is a conniving, manipulative…woman…will drive morale into the basement, and that will not be tolerated. You will no longer do the EoD briefings. If you don't or can't get out of it, I'll talk to Woods."

He turned to leave but said over his shoulder to her, "And make no mistake, Commander, if you so much as try to touch my hand from now on, I'll send you to the farthest reaches of the fleet deployment that I can find, understaffing be damned. Your actions are hurting people Commander, especially the woman I love more than my own life, and I will not stand for it anymore! This is your final warning."

He opened the door and stepped outside. He looked in at Graham and noticed something that made him pause. He had expected her to be distraught, upset at the very least, but the look he saw on her face was neither. It was rage. And that worried him. _"Hell hath no fury …"_

"Good night, Commander", he said as he closed the door.

She went to the door and put her hand on the last thing in her quarters that he had touched: the door handle. "You're wrong Rick, it was me you wanted and I know it, even if you don't."

----------------------------------

Rick's heart was thumping so hard he was sure it was going to explode in his chest. After he left Graham's quarters he didn't trust himself to go straight home, he needed some cool down time. He walked around the ship, which at that time of night was practically deserted. It was what he had hoped for.

He was thinking about the encounter so hard that as he turned one of the corners he slammed into someone. He just kept walking but managed to say, "Sorry."

"Boss?", said a familiar voice.

Rick stopped and turned around. Miriya was looking at him with an oddly annoyed expression, and next to her stood Max, rubbing his shoulder and wearing a somewhat mystified look on his face. They were both in flight suits.

"Max, I'm sorry. I was…deep in thought I guess, I didn't even see you coming or notice it was you. Sorry." He turned around and began walking.

Max looked at Miriya and gave her a small kiss on her cheek. "You go on ahead, Miriya. I'll see what's eating at him." He cast a glance at Rick who was almost out of sight and said to her, "Don't wait up. Looks serious."

With that he gave her another quick kiss and took off in a slow jog to catch up to his friend.

Miriya just shook her head, her green locks rocking with the motion and continued on her way home.

When Max caught up to Rick he put his hand on his shoulder and asked, "What's up, Boss?"

"It's late, Max. Go home with your wife and get some sleep."

"What, and miss out on all the goodies? Never. Come on, Rick, what happened?" An unpleasant thought came to him and he asked, "Did something happen between you and Lisa?"

Rick shook his head and answered, "No, Max. We're fine."

"Well then…was it…did you…what?"

Rick stopped and looked at Max, and Max could see the anguish in his friend's eyes.

Max looked around to figure out where they were. He thought to himself, _"G deck, section 15 Delta. Think. Think. Conference room in section 17."_

"Come on, Rick", he said as he took Rick by the arm.

Rick didn't resist, or even enquire as to where they were going. A couple of corridors later, they came to the Maintenance Division briefing room. Max opened the door, turned on the light and pushed Rick inside. After entering himself, he closed the door and sat down at the table.

Rick took the seat across from him and looked at Max. Max, to his credit, just waited for Rick to find his own time to begin. It had always been that way with Rick when he had something big to say. Pushing never helped.

Rick took a deep breath and told Max the events of the evening, starting from where he got out of bed. When he spoke of Lisa his voice was loving and gentle, and Max was happy to hear that in his friend's voice.

When Rick started speaking about Graham however, his voice became angry and harsh. Max couldn't believe what Rick was telling him, and he couldn't for the life of him close his mouth after his jaw had dropped after the initial shock.

When Rick finished his saga, he leaned back in the chair and rubbed his eyes. Then he locked his hands together behind his neck and waited for Max to say something. It had always been that way with Max after he had told him something big. Prodding never helped.

"Un…unbelievable", was all that Max could manage for his first effort. "It's just…unbelievable."

Rick looked at Max with understanding. "My gut tells me there's going to be trouble, Max, big trouble. I just… this is all my fault. How could I not see this coming? Lisa warned about Graham. I knew Lisa was hurting over the Sit. Room mess, why didn't I just fix it?"

Max looked at Rick and said calmly, "Come on, Rick, this isn't your fault. Graham is messing with you. She's trying to come between you and Lisa, and you just can't let her win. And when she tries something, and she will try something, you've got to be ready."

Rick looked at his good friend, who's very presence inspired him with confidence. "I'm not going to let her win, Max. Lisa has been hurt enough, and I've seen enough of her tears because of Sue Graham. I just don't know what Graham is going to do…yet."

Rick Hunter stood up and moved to the door, turned to look at Max and said with assurance, "I'll be ready. Nothing is going to come between Lisa and me. Nothing." He opened the door, stepped outside and waited for Max to join him.

Max enjoyed seeing the change that had come over Rick, the change from a worried, unsure man to a protective, confident husband.

When he got to Rick he put his arm around his shoulder, and as they started walking he said to him, "Don't worry, Boss, Miriya and I are watching your six. Jean and Vince too." He smiled widely and said satisfyingly, "And with all of us working as a team, when was the last time was were beaten in a fight?"

Rick thought for a second. "It's been a long time."

Max didn't hesitate and said gleefully, "Damn right."

A few minutes later, Rick said good-bye to Max as they split up to head to their respective homes.

When Rick got home, he found his note in the same place that he had left it on the table. He looked into the bedroom and saw that Lisa was still sleeping soundly in their bed. Tomorrow would be their last day to themselves and then it was back to work. He took off his clothes while still in the living room as to not disturb Lisa, and when he was ready he headed to the bed. He gently lowered himself onto the bed and put his arm around his wife's waist, and even though she was sleeping, her hand reached for his and held it tightly.

_"__Nothing will __ever_ _come between us Lisa, I swear." _

That was the last thought that went through Rick's head before he fell asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

k71- I liked the flashback too, writing that is. In regards to Sue being a psycho, well I have the next two chapters already written (they need to be fine tuned and proof read), and… well, you'll see.

Cenkic- Thanks.

Adena- Mental ward, eh? Interesting. And thank you.

Sphersian- You're welcome and thank you. Sue's deviousness will only get…more intense, I hope.

Aikiweezie- Thanks, I appreciate that. Like I told K above, I really liked writing that part.

Keep on truckin'…

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Lisa slowly opened her eyes, letting them become accustomed to the fact that she was awake, and she looked at the clock on the nightstand which read 0753. She turned her head to check on Rick, as had become her custom since Rick was injured, only to find him lying on his side with his left arm propping up his head watching her. His cobalt blue eyes held a warm glow for her and the smile that was on his face was one of love. She rolled over onto her side so that she could face him.

He leaned over and kissed her gently on her soft lips. When he pulled back he said, "Good morning."

She smiled back at him and said, "Good morning yourself." She narrowed her eyes and asked, "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough to trace every detail of your beautiful face with my eyes a couple of dozen times", he said affectionately.

She brought her hand up to stroke his cheek and said playfully, "If I didn't know better I'd say someone was bucking for a promotion."

He kissed her hand and said thoughtfully, "Well, that wouldn't be too bad. I'd finally outrank you."

She moved her hand away from his cheek and placed it behind his head, and as she pulled him down to kiss him she said triumphantly, "Never!"

As they kissed, Lisa became aware that his right hand found it's way to her stomach, slipped underneath her pajama top, and as their kissing intensified, he slowly, gently pulled the top up, exposing her flat belly. He broke from their kiss and moved his head down to kiss her bare tummy, moving his hand to her right side. After several little kisses he looked up at her and he asked, "Do you love me no matter what?"

She looked at him and said affirmatively and a little out of breath, "No matter what, Rick."

"Good", he said as he lowered his face to her again, "Then you don't mind if I …tickle you!"

He gently squeezed the ticklish spot on her side and Lisa began to laugh uncontrollably. She grabbed at his arms and tried desperately to get him to stop, and when that failed she squirmed as hard as she could to try to escape his ticklish grasp.

"Rick!", she exclaimed in between her laughter.

After a few more seconds he did stop, and when he looked at her he reminded her, "No matter what you said."

He kissed her abdomen one more time and looked at her again. His thoughts about Lisa and her self-confidence from the previous night were still fresh in his mind.

He moved back up to lie beside her, his head mere inches from her own. His blue eyes found her green gaze and he brought his right hand up to move her hair from her face so that his view of her was unobstructed. When he was done with that he took her left hand in his, kissed it and laid their combined hands in between them on the bed.

With all the love he could find in his heart he asked, "Do you remember that night back in Monument when I told you just how beautiful you are?"

It took a second for her to realize what he had meant, but when she did remember a serene feeling came over her mind, body and soul. She did indeed remember how Rick had told her how he thought she was beautiful. The loving way that he spoke to her, the caring way that he touched her, and the honesty and sincerity in his eyes and his voice. It warmed her heart every time she thought of that night.

"Yes", she said quietly. She kissed him deeply for several seconds, and when she leaned back she continued, "I could never forget that night."

He released her hand and gently brushed away a strand of her hair that had fallen across her face when she kissed him. Lisa could see his eyes darting around her face, looking at her.

Rick traced the edge of her left ear with his index finger from the top of her ear to the bottom, and when he reached the bottom his finger jumped to her jaw. He ran his finger along her jaw line to her chin, and when he got there he touched the tip of her nose and then ran his finger along her cheekbone and finally to her lips. His finger touched her lip as it did those long years ago, and Lisa remembered the happiness that she had felt at that time, and it overwhelmed her.

She saw the look in Rick's eyes change from love to seriousness as he looked at her and said, "You're still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, Lisa. Nothing has changed. Your eyes, your lips, your skin, your body…still absolutely gorgeous."

Flattered as she was, Lisa was realistic. "Come on Rick, everything has changed, gotten older."

He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them there was a shine in his eyes. "You're right Lisa, everything has changed."

Lisa's eyes showed the hurt that she felt at his admittance of the sad reality.

Seeing that hurt, Rick said solemnly, "No Lisa, you don't understand. You're right that everything has changed. You have managed to become more and more beautiful over the years."

She looked at him and tried to figure out a way that could possibly make him understand how much those words meant to her, but the thought process was interrupted when he said, "I'm just sorry I didn't say that more often."

"Rick, you have nothing to apologize for." She kissed his nose and said, "Nothing at all."

He thought for a second and smiled. "I love you."

She matched his smile and replied, "I love you too."

They kissed again and this time, when his hand found it's way underneath her pajama top, there was no tickling.

----------------------------------

An hour and a half later, Lisa was sitting on the edge of their bed, drying her hair as she waited for Rick to finish his turn in the shower. Rick had said that he had something very important to tell her. She didn't know what it was, but she suspected it might have something to do with the note she had found on the table when she went into the kitchen to get the coffee started. Sometime during the night, he had gone to see Max.

That in itself wasn't an odd occurrence. Sometimes when Rick had trouble sleeping he would go and see Max. Max was a bit of a night owl, a carry over from when Dana was an infant. More often than not, Max had felt obligated to be the one to get up whenever baby Dana cried, and that had been often.

She turned off the hair dryer and with steady strokes brushed out her long brown hair. As she finished, she heard Rick turn off the shower. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and thought hard about what to do with her hair. _"Leave it down or pin it up?"_, she asked herself. _"No, a ponytail for a change."_

She found a scrunchie that matched the light pink blouse she had picked out to wear with her black jeans, and began to put her hair up. It took a couple of attempts to get the ponytail how and where she wanted. A ponytail was something she hadn't done in a long time.

She had just finished when Rick opened the bathroom door and came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. She could see the surprise on his face in his reflection in the mirror when he saw her with her hair like that. His eyes opened in marvelous admiration. _"I think I'll do this more often"_, she thought with some amusement.

She got up and walked towards the door to the living room. She hid the smile that she felt coming and never even so much as looked at Rick as she passed him. She knew he hated it when she did that.

She poured up two cups of coffee and placed them on the table. She sat down and while she waited for her husband she looked over a report that Jean had sent up to her a couple of days earlier. It was her final report on the medical departments performance during the MED.

She was halfway through the first page when she felt Rick's lips nibble gently on the back of her neck and she could no longer hide the smile.

He kissed her neck there and said as he planted another kiss on the side of her neck, "I love…" another kiss "…it when…" another kiss "…you show off…" another kiss "…this beautiful neck." He gave her another kiss on that hyper sensitive spot and, grudgingly, moved to the place at the table where his coffee was waiting and sat down.

After a few seconds Lisa regained her composure asked in a sexy voice, "You like?"

Rick laughed and said after taking a sip of his coffee, "I love."

She narrowed her eyes and said seriously, "Okay Rick, what do you have to tell me?"

He put his right elbow on the table, placed his hand underneath his chin and looked at her dreamily. "I love it when you talk like that."

"Rick!", she exclaimed.

He removed his arm from the table and laughed again. "Okay, okay." He became serious himself, and Lisa could see that though he was serious, he wasn't nervous or edgy. She was very pleased to see that he was more confident and sure of himself than anything else.

He took another sip of coffee and began, "I couldn't sleep last night so I went to talk to Max."

"I know", she commented. "I saw your note this morning."

He nodded his head and continued, "He wasn't home, so I decided to go and talk to Graham."

Lisa was taking a sip of her own coffee when he said that and she almost spit the liquid all over the table.

She brought her hand up to her chin, and after wiping a drop of coffee that made it out of her mouth off her lip she said, "You…what?"

He didn't shy away from her gaze, even when it turned into shock and then anger. When he spoke, his voice was still confident. "I had to Lisa, and you know it. I had to tell her that what she did was wrong. I had to do something."

She did know it of course, but it didn't help to dissipate the shock that she felt.

Rick looked at her and told her the whole story. What he said and what she said. What he did and what she did. Everything.

When he was finished he took another sip of coffee and let her process what he had just told her. After a few seconds he reached across the table and held her hand.

Her emotions ran the gambit, from shock, to worry, to fear, frustration and finally to anger. She was shocked by the thought of him going to her quarters so late at night. She was also worried and shocked at Graham's reaction to what Rick had said to her. Her comments and attitude told Lisa that she would never give up on her feelings for Rick. This frustrated her because Rick was right about morale, and as such, they couldn't really do anything to her. All of these feelings though, paled in comparison to the anger she felt towards Sue Graham. She had the audacity to try to convince Rick that she was what he wanted and the nerve to tell him bold faced lies about what had happened

Rick could see that Lisa was getting upset, so he released her hand, got out of his chair and knelt down beside her. He put his hand on her lap and said softly, "Lisa, we can't let her get to us. We'll be ready for whatever she throws at us. I love you and she will never change that."

Lisa looked at him. He was so confident about their love and their ability to survive, and that in turn buoyed her own spirits.

"Besides, Max said that he and Miriya are watching our backs. Jean and Vince too. Max asked me last night when the last time was that we lost a fight. Do you remember?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't"

He returned her smile and said, "That's right. Lisa. All Sue Graham has managed to do is to strengthen our love, and you know what, I almost want to thank her for that."

She put her arms around his neck and hugged him as he put his arms around her waist.

"Almost", she said into his ear.

He laughed and replied, "Almost."

He released her and she let go of him.

"Are you alright?", he asked.

She smiled her brilliant smile and said, "Surprisingly, yes."

"Good", he said as he got up and held out his hand. "I'd hate for our last free day together to be ruined."

She reached out and took his hand, and as he pulled her up out of the chair she asked, "What do you have planned, Admiral?"

"Sorry, Admiral, it's classified. All I'm going to tell you is that it requires you to put on a flight suit."

"Ah, a flight", she said playfully. "And?"

"And… you'll see. Are we ready to go?"

She looked into his eyes and said, "Not yet."

He was about to ask what the problem was when she moved in close to him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. His arms slipped around her waist again and they just stood there, their lips locked in a passionate dance that shook them both to their cores. When Lisa finally pulled away she said to a dazed Rick, "Now I'm ready."

Before she could even laugh at the look on his face he grabbed her hand and said, "Let's go."

Twenty minutes later they arrived on the hangar deck, checked with the flight crew chief and went to the pilot's locker rooms. After they got into their flight suits, they met at the plane they were to use, a training Alpha.

Lisa climbed into the front seat as Rick talked to the chief.

"Flight Control has you designated as 'Snowbird One' for this flight, Admiral. Have a safe one."

"Thanks, chief. See you in a few hours." The chief nodded and Rick climbed up into the back seat. He got the plane geared up and when he was ready to contact Flight Control he asked Lisa, "You all set up there, baby?"

"Affirmative, Admiral", came her response.

He smiled and opened his mic. "Snowbird One to Flight Control. Request permission to depart."

'Roger, Snowbird One. You may leave at your discretion.'

"Understood Flight Control. Take off in 3…2…1…mark."

----------------------------------

Half an hour later Lisa was watching Rick talk to the security guard at the checkpoint to Tirol Base Epsilon.

"_Of all the places, why on earth come here"_, she thought, bewildered. She was extremely annoyed that Rick wouldn't even so much as tell her where they were going until the Epsilon control tower starting chirping instructions. She was hoping that they would be going to see Roy at the "Summer Camp" near Base Delta, but that was on the other side of the planet. When she realized they weren't going there she hoped they would be going the see the vertical waterfalls near Base Lambda. A hiccup in the planet's gravity made the waterfalls go up instead of the traditional down, and she had made no secret of the fact that she wanted to see them. _"Of all the places. There's nothing around here but desert."_

She saw Rick coming towards her and fixed an appropriate scowl upon her face.

Rick noticed the severe look and said as he smiled, "Any moment now, baby. We're just waiting for Max to bring us a package."

As if Max had been listening, his blue Alpha flew over them and circled around. Max opted for a Guardian mode landing in lieu of the traditional, just to give Lisa an extra couple of seconds to guess.

He threw to configuration switch, and after his Alpha's transformation, he began the slow descent to the runway, not far from where he saw Lisa and Rick waiting. Skull One made contact with the runway and Max kept the nose of the Alpha up so that Lisa couldn't see into the cockpit.

As she approached Skull One, she could see Max say something and a second later smile. For a moment she thought he was losing it.

Rick was behind her and she thought to herself, _"What are they up to?"_

Lisa and Rick reached the Alpha, and Lisa looked at Rick then at Max. "Alright you two. What's going on?"

She saw Rick nod to Max and Max said, "One…two…three…surprise!"

Lisa almost fainted where she stood when her little boy jumped up on Max's lap and yelled 'surprise' at the same time that Max did. He was grinning from ear to ear and clapping his hands together wildly.

Max lowered the nose of the Guardian and lifted Roy out to Rick, who took the boy in his arms and gave him a monster bear hug and a spin. Roy squealed in delight as Rick spun him around.

Lisa just stood there as she watched Rick put her son down, and as soon as Roy's feet hit the runway he yelled, "Mommy!", and bolted right for her. She got down on both knees and held out her arms. He slammed into her waiting hug with all the force that his four-year-old legs could generate. Her arms went around him and she squeezed him so hard that she thought she almost hurt him.

Through her tear filled eyes she saw Max get out of his Alpha and go to Rick, who held out his hand to Max. The two friends shook hands and Max looked at Lisa and nodded. She picked Roy up and went towards Max, and when she got to him she held Roy with her right arm and threw the other one around Max's neck.

He hugged her back and reading what was on her mind he said softly, "You're welcome."

She laughed and as she pulled away from Max she gave him a kiss on his cheek. She filed away the fact that Max blushed in the back of her mind for future use.

Max looked at Roy and said playfully, "Okay copilot Hunter, I have to go. Thank you for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you."

Roy giggled and said, "You're welcome, Uncle Max."

Max gave Roy a salute and headed for his plane. Rick followed him and as Max was getting ready to climb up into the cockpit Rick put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Thanks, Max", he said with heartfelt sincerity.

Matching Rick's tone Max said, "It was my pleasure, Boss. Have fun."

With that Max climbed up into Skull One and lowered the canopy. He waited for Lisa, Rick and Roy to move far enough away, and when they were at a safe distance he activated the foot thrusters. He reached a safe altitude and switched to Fighter mode and flew to the end of the runway, turned around and headed back to where his friends were. As he approached them he started a barrel roll, Roy's favorite move. When he passed them he righted his Alpha and headed for the ship.

Still watching Max as he got farther and farther away, Roy exclaimed, "Wow!"

----------------------------------

For the next twenty minutes Roy talked non-stop about his time on Tirol. He told them of the friends he had made, the things he had done and most importantly for Rick and Lisa, the tremendous fun he had. Lisa didn't let him down out of her arms, she was just so happy to have him there with her.

Rick finally interrupted Roy as he was talking about one of the caretakers at the camp and said, "Well, are we ready for phase two of my little operation?"

Lisa looked at him questioningly and said, "Phase two?"

He laughed and said, "Oh yes. I'm not finished yet. Would you like to go for another ride in an Alpha, Roy?"

Roy held out his arms to Rick and said excitedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

Rick took his son in his arms, looked at Lisa and said happily, "He's his father's son alright."

Lisa screwed up her nose and said, "That's for sure."

They laughed as they headed for the Alpha that brought Lisa and Rick to Tirol. When they got to it Lisa climbed up into the front and when she was settled, Rick handed Roy up to her. He got on his mother's lap and hugged her again. "I missed you, Mommy."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "I missed you to, baby." Indeed, she had missed him very much. She had sized him up as he ran to her on the runway. His straight brown hair waved only slightly as he ran towards her, and his big blue eyes were full of happiness.

Rick got into the back and after a few moments they were airborne.

Rick smiled as Lisa and Roy kept talking. Seeing his son again lifted his spirits tremendously, but even more importantly being with Roy made Lisa the happiest woman in the galaxy. She forgot about everything else, the ship, the mission and most importantly, Sue Graham.

And that made him the happiest man in the galaxy.

A short time later, Rick said to Lisa, "Take a look to starboard, Lisa."

She did and her breath was taken away. "Rick, look at it", she said, awestruck.

Roy asked excitedly, "What Mommy? What?"

She helped him to turn around to see the vertical waterfalls. They were still a fair distance away. The gravitational anomaly prevented aircraft of any kind from venturing too close.

"Wow!", said the child.

Rick landed the Alpha at Base Lambda and a land vehicle was waiting to take them to closer to the falls. When they arrived as close as they could get, they were astounded. The water was rising up from a pool and went up over the edge of a cliff, creating the vertical waterfall. Lisa couldn't remember the scientific and technical reasoning behind it, in fact her head hurt whenever she tried, but it looked amazing.

What looked even more amazing to her were the men in her life. Rick had Roy up on his shoulders and Rick was explaining to Roy why the water was going up instead of down. Lisa laughed to herself when she heard Rick say a magical elephant under the surface of the pool blowing water out his trunk was the cause.

She missed Roy terribly, but with her and Rick too busy to properly take care of him, this was the best place for him. At least he seemed to be genuinely enjoying his time on Tirol, and that eased her mind a little.

A little while later they had lunch at a local restaurant and Lisa marveled at how Roy could come up with new things to tell them.

All too soon however, it was time for them to return to the ship. They boarded the Alpha and Rick flew them to Base Delta where one of the camp guardians, a pediatric nurse from the hospital ship _Banting_ waited for them.

On the ground, Rick took his son into another bear hug and kissed his cheek. "I love you, Roy, and I'll miss you. You be good and listen to the guardians, right?"

Roy looked at Rick and said, "I love you too, Daddy. I'll be good. I promise."

"That's my boy", Rick said as he lowered him to the ground.

Lisa's was heart broken. She enjoyed being with her little boy so much. He ran to her again and this time she scooped him up when he got to her. "I love you, Roy. I love you so much." She gave him a squeeze and a kiss on his cheek. She brought him over to the nurse, who just smiled as she took him from Lisa.

Lisa didn't want Roy to see her cry so she tried very hard to keep the tears from building up in her eyes.

Rick put his arm around her as the nurse took Roy away from the tarmac, but stopped when she reached the checkpoint.

Roy waved to them and they waved back. Roy pointed to the Alpha and Rick understood what he meant.

"He wants us to go so I can do a barrel roll", he said softly to Lisa.

Lisa glanced at him and said, "I hate barrel rolls, but anything for my son."

Rick kissed her cheek and said amusedly, "For our son."

She smiled and climbed into the Alpha, with Rick right behind her. He taxied to the take off position and threw the throttle forward. After they lifted off seconds later, he aimed the Alpha towards Roy's position and started the roll.

He leveled the Alpha and headed to the ship, and as the Alpha left the atmosphere Lisa complained loudly, "I hate barrel rolls."

Rick just smiled as he initiated one last series of rolls.

----------------------------------

Lisa and Rick walked into their quarters half an hour later, exhausted to the bone.

Lisa collapsed face down on their bed, still in her flight suit. "I'm bushed", came her complaint, muffled by her pillow.

Rick laughed and as he came to stand beside her he said, "Back to work tomorrow. Imagine how tired you'll be tomorrow night."

She turned her head to look at him and said with false annoyance, "Thanks for reminding me."

She rolled over onto her back and then sat up. She reached for his hand and pulled him down to sit in front of her. Keeping a hold of his hand she said, "Thank you, Rick. Thank you for taking me to see our son, thank you for taking me to see the waterfalls…thank you."

He leaned over and gave her a tender kiss. "No thanks necessary. The look on your face was more than enough thanks and I got almost as much out of it as you did. Besides, there is no other place in the universe that I would rather be than with my beautiful wife and adorable son." His gaze became mischievous as he added, "Except maybe alone with you in our bedroom."

He reached his hands up, put them on her face and pulled her towards him, and as he did he fell back onto the bed so that she landed on top of him. When they settled he looked into her green eyes and said, "I love you, Lisa. So very much."

She looked into his blue eyes and replied, "I love you too."

And then she kissed him.

----------------------------------

In another cabin aboard ship, Sue Graham pulled the bed covers up over herself as she lid down on her back in her bed. The rumor mill spouted out that Rick and Lisa had gone to Tirol, but she couldn't find out why or what they had done.

It didn't matter. Her plan was almost complete.

The problem was time. It would take time to get ready, and when the time came, timing would be everything.

It would take weeks for sure, possibly even months. Certain things had to be done, certain things had to happen, and some of those things required a significant amount of time. Her pilot certification, for example, would take several weeks to obtain. She had completed the basic instruction in flight training over the last few months in her spare time, but the actual flight training would require weeks to finish.

She also needed help from her friends, but she had no doubt that they could be counted on. They would have to work as hard as she did, Angela even a little more. Angela was perhaps the key. She already had her flight certification from the academy, and she would be able to help her with her training, as she had helped her with the instruction. Along with that, Angie had her field medic training, she had access to the infirmary and hopefully, she would have access to Admiral Lisa Hunter.

She had originally planned to try to drive a wedge between Rick and his wife, but that proved to be more difficult than she had anticipated. She tried seduction, tried to create mistrust and friction between them and jumped at the opportunities that presented themselves to her, but Rick resisted.

_"Not because he wants to though. Must be some sort of loyalty complex or something. What does he see in her anyway? She's so…old!"_

Now her plan had become complicated and contingent on a number of outside variables.

She had to show Rick that he could love her, and it looked like that could only happen if Lisa was no longer in Rick's life.

Period.

Her eyelids became heavy as the thoughts came to her, and as she drifted off to sleep she thought of Rick sleeping beside her, reaching over to hold her, leaning in to kiss her and wanting to be with her.


	14. Chapter 14

Sphersian- Thank you very much. In regards to holding back, well, I got to be sure of what I'm doing. Things are starting to get complicated. :)

Carla- Thank you too. Like I said somewhere, I'm a big Lisa and Rick fan, so they'll do okay. Although I do have a story started where they have some trouble…but we'll talk about that later.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The next morning the alarm went off at 0645, and Lisa turned it off with a scornful tap. She turned her head to look at Rick and her heart skipped a beat when she found that he wasn't beside her.

She sat up quickly and called out anxiously, "Rick."

He poked his head through the bedroom doorway and said, "Good morning, beautiful. Up and at 'em."

He walked toward her as she fell back on the bed and said grumpily, "Why are you in such a good mood?"

He knelt down on one knee beside her and as she turned her head to look at him he said pleasantly, "Why shouldn't I be in a good mood? I spent yesterday with my wife and son and last night making love to said wife. And on top of that, when I woke up this morning her beautiful face was the absolute first thing that I saw. I couldn't possibly be in a bad mood after all of that."

He smiled and reached over to kiss her. He broke from the kiss, stood up and said, "Stay right there, Sleeping Beauty." He hesitated as if realizing something and amended, "Well, okay sit up, but don't get out of bed."

As he disappeared out the door, she sat up in bed and wondered, _"What in the world is he up to now?"_

He came back a few moments later carrying a tray in his hands, and on the tray was a cup of coffee and Lisa's favorite breakfast, blueberry pancakes smothered in syrup. Also on the tray was a beautiful arrangement of red flowers from the Botanical Gardens.

He gently placed the tray across her lap and carefully sat down in front of her on the bed. She smelled the flowers and said playfully, "Amanda is going to kill you."

She meant the botany guru aboard ship, Assistant Chief Engineer Amanda Fraser. In her spare time over the years, Fraser had painstakingly planted and grown dozens of earth flowers in what was now the ship's botanical garden. It had taken so long because the seeds didn't seem to want to grow in the Tirolian soil, so everywhere the REF went she would pester someone to obtain soil samples for her to test. She finally found a compatible soil and planted the seeds. She watered the plants, she weeded the plants, she talked to the plants, and rumor had it that she even tucked them in at night. Years later, the gardens were lush and ripe with various earth plants, especially Fraser's favorite flower, the King Humber Red Canna Lily, of which several specimens now graced Lisa's breakfast tray.

He folded his arms across his chest. "First of all", he said indignantly, "what makes you think I didn't ask her first?"

Lisa fixed him with an appropriate 'are you kidding' look and said, "Because I know you, Rick."

"Okay", he conceded as he unfolded his arms. "What makes you think she'll know it was me?" He thought for second, remembered the last time he raided the gardens and said, "You're right, she's going to kill me." He thought for another second and said, "Then again, she really likes you, so when I tell her that they were for you, she may spare me. Besides, I've known Fraser for a long time, and God knows if she wanted to kill me she would have done it before now."

Lisa laughed heartily and asked, "Aren't you having something?"

He shook his head. "Already had mine. You go ahead and eat while I hop in the shower."

He got up and took a couple of steps toward the bathroom, but stopped when he remembered something. He turned around and went back to Lisa and gave her a tender kiss.

He looked at her and said with a smile, "I love you."

Holding his gaze she said, "I love you, too."

With that he was ready for his shower and proceeded to the bathroom.

----------------------------------

Sue Graham sat in the chair in her living room and looked at her friends on the couch. Grace and Marques had come over before going to work to discuss their plan to get Rick Hunter to be with Graham.

"Alright", said Graham. "Admiral Lisa Hunter's escort squadron has been set for over a year. The same pilots fly in it, no matter what. When she goes off ship on official business, they fly escort." She paused to make sure that her friends were following her, and when they both nodded for her to continue she did. "She has several trips planned for the upcoming months, mostly to Tirol. One of those Tirol trips would be the best chance for success."

"I've looked over the list of names Sue, and I've picked the target", said Grace mischievously. She pulled out a personnel dossier and read from it. "Lieutenant Scott Montgomery. Twenty-three years old, average build and average height. Not drop dead gorgeous but not a troll either. Psyche profile indicates a tendency to keep to himself, despite his best attempts to the contrary. I've already introduced myself to him and I shouldn't have any problem with getting to know him better. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be able to get the escort procedures and so forth."

"Nice, Andrea." She looked at Marques and asked, "What about getting assigned to be her medic on trips off ship?"

Marques said, "I've submitted the necessary requests and talked to Dr. Grant about it. The final decision falls to her and she doesn't have a problem with it. She told me she'd let me know soon."

"Did she ask why you requested the assignment?", asked Grace.

Marques nodded her head and said, "I just told her I needed a change in routine. She seemed to accept that."

"Good", said Graham.

Marques looked at Graham and asked, "How's the flight training coming along?"

"Great actually", was her reply. "The pointers and lessons you gave me have enabled me to go ahead of everyone else a bit. The instructor said if I wanted to try the certification test in a few weeks I could."

"That's really good, Sue", said Marques, impressed yet again by Graham's ability.

"Thanks. Everything is coming together nicely. Fleet Intelligence has learned of a Tirolian explosive that's untraceable, and I have found a fool proof way of obtaining a very small amount." She added ominously, "Enough for the shuttle and the diversion."

Marques shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

Her discomfort didn't escape Graham's attention. She looked at her and asked, "Something wrong, Angie?"

She looked at Graham and said sadly, "I'm afraid people are going to get hurt, Sue. Comrades. That bothers me a little, yes."

"If you're having second thoughts, Angie", said Grace beside her, "now is the time."

Marques shook her head and said emphatically, "No, I'm in all the way." She shrugged her shoulders. "Just my medical training bugging me I guess."

"Okay", said Graham, "that's enough for now anyway. Soon be time to head into work."

"Me too", said Grace as she got up. "Angie?"

Marques shook her head as she too got up off the couch. "First day off in three weeks, and I have no idea what to do."

As she headed for the door, Graham looked at Marques and suggested, "The Botanical Garden. They say that Fraser has done wonders up there. Check that out."

"Maybe I will", said Marques as the women headed out the door.

----------------------------------

Rick wanted to be with Lisa for as long as he could before he went to the Situation Room, so he decided to walk her up to the bridge. His left hand held her right hand, and as they approached the door to the bridge Rick slowed their pace to a slow crawl.

Ten feet from the door he stopped her, looked into her sparkling green eyes and said, "Call me if you get a chance?"

Her left hand came up to caress his cheek and she said softly, "I'll make the time to call you. Don't overdo it, okay Rick. Promise me?"

He smiled his best 'don't worry' smile and replied, "I promise." He moved forward and kissed her. The love in their kiss ran like an electrical current that warmed them both, and when they stepped back from each other all thoughts were gone from their minds except that love.

Slowly however, reality came back to them.

Lisa said very slowly, "You better get out of here while I still have some control over my actions."

He smiled and said, "Alright. Love you."

He turned and started walking back towards the Sit. Room and she said loud enough for him to hear, "Love you too."

He stopped and turned around to take one more look at her. She brought her hand up to her lips and blew him a kiss. He blew one back to her and as she turned to go onto the bridge, he turned to head to the Sit. Room.

Lisa entered the bridge and was welcomed by the 'Admiral on the bridge' call.

"As you were", she announced to her command crew.

Captain Forsythe approached her and said with a smile, "Welcome back, Admiral. I've been keeping your chair nice and warm for you."

"Thank you, Captain." She sat down in her chair, looked at her executive officer and asked, "What have I missed?"

----------------------------------

Around the same time that Lisa entered the bridge of her ship, Lieutenant Angela Marques entered the Botanical Garden. She was truly amazed at the plant life that thrived in the room, like roses, lilies, lilacs and dozens of other flowers. The fragrances varied from section to section, but all were pleasant. She walked around and took in the sights and smells, enjoying the beauty and tranquility of the place.

As she approached a section that was marked as containing a variety of lilies, the peace was shattered as she heard a flabbergasted voice exclaim, "I'm going to kill him! No I will not calm down, this time he's gone too far!"

Curious, Marques edged closer to the disturbance, hid behind a big rose bush, and watched and listened as Amanda Fraser talked to one of her volunteers, Lieutenant Tori Hogan. Fraser was a small woman who's long blonde hair waved back and forth as she opened her arms wide to encompass the scene in front of her as she spoke.

"Ma'am, you don't even know if it was him", Hogan said nervously. She hadn't been there the last time he raided the flowerbeds, but everyone knew that Fraser gave him the biggest kind of tongue-lashing with threats of bodily harm should he do it again.

Fraser looked at her with narrowed blue eyes and said, "It was him. He's done it before. I warned him…"

"Ma'am, he outranks you", tried Hogan.

"I don't care if he's the archangel Gabriel! I'm going to kill him!"

Marques wasn't sure if Fraser was serious or not, but she was glad nonetheless that she wasn't who Fraser was mad at.

Hogan was about to say something else when a masculine voice entered the conversation. "Come on Amanda, it was only a few flowers."

Rick had decided that before he did anything else he should apologize to Fraser, although when he overheard what she had said he had some second thoughts.

Hogan saluted nervously and vacated the premises as quickly as she could. Fraser looked at Rick, pointed the spade she had in her hand at him and said with blatant anger in her voice, "You! I ought to…"

"I'm sorry, Amanda", he said with genuine remorse. He stepped closer to her, despite the fact that she still had the spade pointed at him, and continued, "I just really wanted to do something special for Lisa this morning before we went back to work, and for looking after me when I was injured during the MED."

Her expression softened a little bit. Everyone knew of the epic love story of Lisa Hayes and Rick Hunter, and she had been around long enough to see it from the beginning aboard the SDF-1. She had always pulled for them to get together, and when both Rick and Lisa asked her to join the REF and the SDF-3, she was genuinely touched. "Admiral", she began with barely controlled fury, "you broke into the Botanical Garden, you ravaged through my flowerbeds and stole some of my favorite flowers."

He nodded and admitted, "Yes ma'am, I did."

After forcing herself to calm down a bit, Fraser looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What did you do for Lisa that was so special?"

Rick looked at her and knew that he had already won. He had known Fraser for a long time, and Lisa and he even considered her a very good friend. "I got up before the alarm went off and cooked her favorite breakfast for her. When she woke up I brought the food into the bedroom on a tray, decorated with those beautiful lilies, so that she could have breakfast in bed."

"That's it?", she asked with her eyes wide open in shock.

Rick ran his hand through his hair and said, "Well, it was sort of the icing on the cake for yesterday. I took her down to Tirol and surprised her with a visit from our son, and then took her to see those vertical waterfalls that she wanted to see so much."

Fraser was about to comment when Rick said, "You should have seen her face when she saw Roy, Amanda, she was so surprised and so happy. We had the perfect day yesterday." He winked at her and said quietly, "And the perfect night too."

Behind the rose bush, Marques narrowed her eyes. _"Wait until Sue hears about this."_

Fraser looked at him and smiled. Then however, as though she remembered she was supposed to be mad at him, her eyes darkened. "But Rick, my red lilies!" She stepped closer to him, and when he glanced fearfully at the spade that she still had pointed at him she lowered it and said pleadingly, "Just promise me the next time you want to give Lisa flowers, come and see me. I'll give you what you need, but just let me know. Don't invade my garden and tear up my flowers."

He smiled the widest smile and said happily, "Deal."

Fraser looked at him, shook her head and asked in a defeated voice, "Did she like the flowers?"

Rick put his right arm around her shoulder and said, "She absolutely loved the flowers."

He released her and moved to sit on a nearby bench. When Fraser joined him he said, "You know Amanda, Lisa and I haven't exactly had a problem free relationship…"

"No kidding", quipped Fraser.

He ignored her comment and continued, "But we always came through those hard times stronger than ever. Even with…with what we just faced, it's the same thing."

Fraser was little a lost. _" Another problem? Lately? What happened now?"_

Rick paused for a second then said, "If you had asked me this time last year if my love for Lisa could get any stronger, I would have said no. But here I am now, and I know I love her more today than I did a year ago. Hell, I love her more today than I did yesterday. Even after all this time. Does that make any sense?"

Fraser looked at Rick and said with a warm smile, "Sure it does, Rick. Isn't that the way love, true love, is supposed to be?"

He looked at her, smiled and said, "Yes it is. Thanks." He looked around at the foliage and said, "I better head to the Sit. Room. My first day back to work and I'm late. Sorry about the lilies, Amanda."

She looked at him and said warningly, "Get out of here before I…"

He got up, began a quick march out of the garden and said over his shoulder, "Bye, Amanda."

Fraser laughed as he left in a hurry and turned her attention to the crater that once housed her lilies. She looked at the hole and screamed, "Agh! Men!"

Marques slipped unnoticed out of the gardens and began to walk home. As she walked, her mind went over Graham's ideas, but something that Rick had just said kept finding it's way into her thoughts: _'I love her more today than I did yesterday'_, he had said.

"_He truly loves her", _she thought to herself, sadly aware that she had never felt anything that even remotely resembled what she just heard him describe.

----------------------------------

"Admiral on Deck!", exclaimed Vince Grant as Rick entered the Sit. Room.

"As you were", said Rick as he walked up to Vince. He wagged a finger at Vince and said, "I thought I left a standing order not to do that."

Not even pretending to look concerned or embarrassed, Vince said contentedly, "Sorry Rick, I couldn't help myself."

Rick put his hand up on the big man's shoulder and said light heartedly, "I'll forgive you this time, Vince. What's on the schedule for today?"

Vince handed him a list. "Meetings, meetings and more meetings, Admiral."

"Great, great and just great." Rick screened the list and said, "I'm going to go and hide in my office for a while."

He heard Vince's laughter as he closed his office door, and when he sat down, he looked on his desk and found the picture of him and Lisa on their wedding day.

And he smiled.

----------------------------------

Angela entered the infirmary and walked up to the main desk. She looked at the nurse on duty and asked, "Hi Betty. Is Dr. Grant around? I just got a message that she wanted to see me."

Nurse Betty Reynolds replied, "Yes, Angela. Take a seat in her office and I'll let her know you're here."

She headed to Jean's office, saying over her shoulder, "Thanks, Betty."

She entered Jean's office and sat in the visitor's chair. She looked around the office and for the hundredth time read the numerous diplomas and commendations.

Jean Grant had been perhaps the single biggest influence in her adult life. It was a visit from Grant at the training academy that prompted her to become a medic, sort of. Angela Marques was on the fast track to become one of the best fighter pilots in the REF. She more than had the skills and attitude necessary for it, and all of her instructors pushed her in that direction. Then, one day, a guest lecturer opened her eyes to the world of medicine. Jean Grant had been so passionate about medicine when she spoke, so emphatic about how it contributed to the REF, that it moved Marques to seriously think about medicine as a career.

After her lecture, Jean had remained behind to answer any questions that the cadets may have had, and Angela listened to everyone's questions, and more importantly to her answers. She was kind, honest and warm to each and everyone one of them, and for reasons that she never fully comprehended, especially her.

Angela had asked her question after question, but the smile never left Jean's face and the patience never left her voice, even when Marques told her that she wanted to fly and that medical school was just too long a wait.

She remembered Jean's response to that. _'You don't have to be a doctor. Look, if you want to fly and practice medicine, be a field medic. You've almost finished your flight certification. Finish it and then do the medic course. Medics who can fly are rare and would definitely be an asset. There are some things you won't be able to do, but for the most part you'll have the best of both worlds. And if for some reason you want to choose either or later, you can quit one and concentrate on the other.'_

And that's what she did. She never could choose outright though. She was primarily a medic and more than happy about it, but she kept her flight status activated and her certification up to date. Just in case.

She credited Jean Grant with changing her life for the better, and she felt indebted to her, though she never expressly told her that. Graham and Grace were her closest friends, but Grant almost meant as much to her, and there wasn't anything that Angela wouldn't do for her if she asked.

"Hi Angie. What have you been up to on your well-deserved day off?", asked Jean as she sat down at her desk.

Angela looked at her and said, "Not much. I went to the gardens a little while ago. It's beautiful in there."

Jean smiled. "It sure is. Commander Fraser worked miracles for sure. Now, about your request. Is that really what you want?"

Angela hesitated for a second, but finally said, "Yes."

Jean nodded and said, "Okay. I'll approve it immediately."

Angela silently released the breath she had been holding in and said appreciatively, "Thank you Dr. Grant."

Jean smiled at her. "Don't mention it, we all need a change every once in a while."

Angela returned her smile and said, "Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, go enjoy the rest of your day off. I'll see you tomorrow, and give you the details for your new duties then."

Angela nodded, got up and headed for the door, but stopped when she heard Jean ask, "Are you okay, Angie?"

Puzzled, Marques turned to look at her and simply said, "Ma'am?"

Jean looked legitimately concerned. "You seem a little preoccupied. Everything okay?"

"Yes, Doctor. I'm fine. Thanks for asking. I'll see you tomorrow, ma'am." She smiled and walked out the door to Jeans' office, and seconds later out the door to the infirmary.

She looked at one of the clocks along the corridor and realized it was almost lunchtime, and she had agreed to meet with Sue and Andrea in Graham's quarters, and that's where she headed.

----------------------------------

Lisa sat in her office going over some of the reports she had to get through, when she noticed it was almost time for lunch. She put down the report and punched up the Situation Room channel on the communication system. When the screen came on she saw Vince looking at her.

'Situation Room, Commander Grant.'

She smiled and said, "Hi Vince. Is Rick around?"

'Hi Lisa. He's in his office going over some reports.' Vince smiled and winked at her. 'I think he's in there avoiding work.'

Lisa laughed for the first time since she left Rick in the morning and said before cutting the connection, "Just like him. Thanks Vince."

She punched in the channel for his office and much to her surprise, when he answered he looked like he was actually reading a report.

He saw her face on the screen and instantly smiled.

'Hi baby', he said lovingly. 'How are things on the bridge?'

She held up the report she was reading and said ruefully, "About the same as things down there, apparently."

Rick laughed and said, 'Grin and bear it, I guess.' He put down the report he had been reading. 'I went and apologized to Fraser.'

Lisa fixed him with a bemused expression and said with her best melodramatic whisper, "And she let you live?"

Again Rick laughed. 'I told you that when she found out they were for you she'd be gentle.'

There was a knock on Lisa's door. Rick heard it over the line and said, 'We'll talk later.'

She nodded, broke the connection and told whoever had knocked to come in.

----------------------------------

Marques sat down on Sue's couch and watched her friend as she prepared some sandwiches and drinks. They were in Graham's quarters and almost halfway through the lunch hour there was no sign of Grace.

Sue brought the tray of sandwiches and drinks into the living room and placed them on the table. She looked at the clock and said, "Dig in, Angie, there's no telling where Andrea may be."

Knowing that Graham was right, Angela laughed and picked up a sandwich and took a bite. When she swallowed that much she said, "Good news, Sue. Dr. Grant gave me the assignment this morning. I get the details tomorrow."

Graham's face lit up and she said, "Great. The pieces are coming together nicely, Angie."

Angela nodded. "I have to confess, Sue, when you first came up with this scheme I was a little bit…skeptical. But I have to hand it to you, it seems to be doable."

"No Angie. Not me, us." Graham paused. She knew that Marques was having doubts about parts of the plan, so what she said now would have to put a dent into those doubts. "I couldn't have done this much without you and Andrea, much less finish it. I don't know how to thank you guys."

Marques, uncomfortable with emotionalism, avoided Graham's gaze and said, "Come on, Sue, you know we're here…"

"That's the point, Angie, I do know. You guys, you are more than just friends to me Angie, you're sisters. Family."

Angela ran over those words, and to a point they were true. Over the years they had become more than friends. But still…

She looked at Graham and said, "Well, speaking for myself, I feel the same way about you." She raised her drink in a salute and said, "To family."

Graham imitated Marques' actions and repeated, "To family."

By the time they were finished their lunch, it was time for Graham to get back to Fleet Intelligence. They left the tray on the table and left Graham's quarters.

As Marques walked with Graham towards Fleet Intelligence Sue asked, "By the way, how'd you spend your morning?"

"Well, before talking with Dr. Grant, I visited the Botanical Garden. It's very nice up there. Fraser has done an awesome job." She hesitated.

Sensing her hesitation, Graham asked, "Anything else?"

Angela Marques looked at her friend as they reached the door to Fleet Intelligence, made a decision and said, "No, nothing else. I'll see you later?"

"Absolutely", said Graham. "See you."

Marques nodded and walked towards home, and for the whole trip one thought echoed in her mind. _"What are we doing?"_

----------------------------------

At 1648 hours, Lt. Andrea Grace knocked on Commander Sue Graham's office door, and after hearing Graham give permission to enter she opened the door and walked in.

"Where the hell were you?", asked Graham, not bothering to hide her displeasure.

Grace sat down in the visitor's chair and leaned back. "I was getting to know our Lieutenant Montgomery better."

Graham's eyes were as wide as golf balls. "Wow, you do work fast."

They laughed and Grace said, "I walked along by the Mess on my way to meet you and Angie and saw him sitting alone inside, so I went in and asked him if I could sit with him."

Grace stopped talking, obviously enjoying the fact that she knew something tantalizing that Graham didn't.

"And?", Graham nudged.

"We got along famously. He actually seems like a nice guy." Grace leaned forward and said naughtily, "I'll have him eating out of the palm of my hand in no time."

Sue laughed and said teasingly, "He won't know what hit him."

When the laughter died down, Grace looked at Sue as if there was something she wanted to say but didn't know how. "Sue, what about Angie? When are you going to tell her about…?"

Graham leaned back in her own chair and sighed. "Not until I have to Andrea. You saw her this morning. She doesn't want people to get hurt. But I'm playing to win and if people get in my way, they are going to get hurt."

Grace nodded. "And Hunter?"

"Lisa won't be hurt, Andrea." At Grace's disappointed expression Graham leaned forward and as she put her hands on her desk she added, "At least, not until she sees that Rick loves me. After that…" Graham shrugged her shoulders, leaned back in her chair and laughed.

----------------------------------

Rick staggered through the door to his quarters and looked in the living room, kitchen and bedroom to see if Lisa was home. After not finding her he plopped down on the couch.

"_What a day!"_, he said to himself tiredly. _"I hate meetings."_

His entire day had consisted of everything he hated most in his job: meetings and reading reports. The only bright spot of his entire day had been when Lisa called, and that had been way too short.

He reached over and toggled the communication panel and dialed up the bridge.

'Bridge, Forsythe here.'

"Good evening, Captain. Is my wife still up there?", he asked.

Forsythe sounded amused by the question. 'Sorry Admiral, she left here about an hour ago. Said something about wanting to be home before you got there.'

Rick narrowed his eyes in thought. "Okay, thanks Captain."

'Aye, sir. Bridge out.'

"_I wonder where she is?"_, he thought.

It was just as he finished asking the question to himself that he heard water splashing around in the bathroom._ "Of course"_, he thought somewhat embarrassed at his oversight. _"The only room I never checked."_

He slowly walked to the bathroom, opened the door and peeked inside. What he saw got his hormones raging so out of control that he thought his head was spinning. Lying down in their oversized tub was his wife, covered in flower-scented bubbles. She looked at him and grinned devilishly.

"Well hello there, handsome", she said in her sexiest voice.

He looked into her green eyes and got lost in their sparkle.

Knowing she had gotten his attention she asked, "Are you just going to stand there with your mouth wide open, or are you going to join me?"

In record time, Rick was undressed and in the tub leaned back with his wife leaned back against him so that her back was against his chest. His head rested against the side of her head, his arms were around her waist, and his hands held hers as they rested on her stomach.

He sighed, kissed her neck and said quietly, "This is the life."

She moved a little and turned her head to look at him. Green eyes found blue eyes, and she whispered, "It sure is."

Their eyes sparkled in unison as their lips took control over everything else and decided that they wanted to meet.


	15. Chapter 15

During the next month, Lisa and Rick returned to work and they finally got back into their old routines. Lisa's day consisted mostly of meetings, going over crew rosters, maintenance and repair reports and organizing the Fleet and its resources for their imminent return to Earth space. Rick's day was spent going over mecha inventories, crew assignments, battle plans and strategies, and more and more recently trying to get Baker to live up to his potential.

They called each other when they could, and when their days were done and their evenings began, they were seldom apart and always happy.

Max and Miriya enjoyed their friends' behavior, so much so that it positively influenced their own relationship as well. Max would comment that love was in the air and it was the same wind that gave Lisa and Rick, and by extension everyone, what Lisa called their second wind. And so it seemed with many a couple.

Lisa and Rick's relationship was always the on everyone's mind, but the couple that had captured everyone's immediate attention lately was that of Lieutenant Simon James from the Skull and Lieutenant Jessica Thorne, also from the Skull. James had asked Thorne to marry him the day before the MED, but she said she wanted to think about it. He waited and waited while she made him sweat. What made this news aboard ship was the history of their relationship. It paralleled Lisa and Rick's in many ways, only this time the lad was head over heels while the lass was a bit in the dark. Their romance was the hot topic aboard the SDF-3. When he popped the question and she said she wanted to think about it, a betting pool developed among the pilots concerning when she would buckle and give in. The fact that she would say yes wasn't in question, just the timing. Finally two weeks after the MED, she did indeed say yes. There was celebration in the air, and the plans began for the big wedding.

The winner of the pilot's betting pool?

Captain Miriya Sterling. She was off the exact time by only twenty-one minutes. She blamed that on Max's slow watch.

When the couple asked Lisa to officiate at the wedding and Rick to give the bride away, they were pleased as punch. The happy couple told Lisa and Rick that they were their inspiration, and Max, who was to be the best man said to Miriya, the maid of honor, "See, it's like I said. They're the best mascots we could ever have."

Two weeks later, one month after James first asked the question to Thorne, they were married. It was a glorious celebration and it went off without a hitch.

And so it went for Lisa and Rick for another two months, with the day in and day out routine rarely being broken. Most importantly for them however, the monotony meant that Sue Graham was behaving herself and staying away from them both. She hadn't been heard from and very rarely seen, though both Rick and Lisa had noticed in their personnel briefs with some interest and amusement that Graham had received her wings.

----------------------------------

Lieutenant Andrea Grace woke up and found herself in an unfamiliar room. It took only a couple of seconds to remember where she was and how she got there. She turned her head and brushed her blonde locks out of her face with her hand and looked at the other side of the bed. She was surprised to find no one there, but she did notice that there was a note on the pillow.

She sat up and took the note in her dainty hands and opened it. She smiled as she read the note from Lieutenant Scott Montgomery.

Andrea:

I had to go out on patrol and didn't want to wake you. Stay as long as you want.

Thank you for last night, it was incredible.

I'll see you later today.

I hope.

Scott.

A shiver ran down her back. It had indeed been an incredible night.

It had been three months since she first introduced herself to the young lieutenant. In the first couple of weeks, they spent hours together talking and getting to know each other better, or so it seemed to Montgomery. She had already gleaned some of the information that she wanted out of him and she took the next step in her devious plan. The pilot never suspected anything and he had been a perfect gentleman, letting her determine how fast to go. Before last night, the sexual encounters that they shared were always initiated by her, but for whatever reason last night he came out of his shell in the most passionate and sexual way without needing the slightest bit of coaxing from her. He did things that he hadn't done before and said things that he hadn't said before. Last night was even the first time that they had been together in his quarters instead of hers.

But it wasn't that he did or said those things that sent the shiver down her spine, or the fact that the night had been so passionate. It was what all that put together meant in the grand scheme of things. It meant that he would do anything for her.

It meant that she had him in her grasp. She had him in her power.

She leaned back, let her head fall back onto the pillow and laughed out loud. She looked at the note again and said in wicked voice, "Don't worry, Scott. You'll be seeing a lot more of me."

----------------------------------

Angela Marques woke up from her blissful slumber realizing that she had to make another trip to Tirol with Admiral Lisa Hunter.

She groaned loudly as she got out of bed and raised her hands high above her head to stretch. She brought her hands down and headed to the bathroom, looked in the mirror and sighed. She looked like she had aged twenty years in the three months since the MED, since she started accompanying Admiral Hunter on her trips off ship.

That in itself wasn't the reason for her feeling apprehension and worn down. When she was introduced to the Admiral, the warmth that she generated, whether she was with the highest-ranking official or the lowest ranking crewmember, impressed Marques deeply. Though she had gone only on a couple of trips with the Admiral she found herself genuinely liking Lisa Hunter, and that disturbed her greatly. She could find nothing to personally dislike about her, except maybe that she never stopped or even slowed down her pace, and despite Angela's youth and excellent conditioning it was a challenge to keep up with her.

Angela looked out at the clock and decided she had just enough time to shower and grab a quick bite in the Mess before the shuttle was due to leave.

"_With any luck something will come up and she won't be able to go"_, she hoped.

She turned on the shower and let the streams of hot water soothe her aching body. Five minutes later, against her will, she turned off the shower and dried herself off in her favorite oversized towel, wrapping it tightly around herself when she was done. She didn't know why she always wrapped herself up in the towel, the door was locked and no one could get in, but she never felt comfortable walking around in her birthday suit. She dried her hair and put on her dress uniform. The dress uniform was an oddity, as Admiral Hunter hated the damn thing as much as she did, but this was a special occasion and protocol called for dress uniforms.

She checked herself in the mirror and after she decided that everything looked okay, she left her quarters. She made her way quickly to the Mess. It was still a little early for the morning rush, so when she picked up her breakfast, two pieces of toast and a cup of coffee, she had her choice of tables. She picked one near the door and sat down.

She looked at the strawberry jam on her tray, weighing whether or not her favorite jam was worth the risk of messing up her uniform. In the end her taste buds won out and she had just finished putting the jam on her toast and was about to put a piece in her mouth when a familiar voice asked, "Is this seat taken?"

The smile that came to Angela's face came as naturally as it could. Jean Grant's joyful attitude was infectious and always brought a smile to her face.

Marques looked around and said in jest, "Well, seeing as how there is nowhere else to sit, have a seat."

Jean laughed softly as she sat down. She was worried about Angela and had been trying to get her alone for quite some time to see if there was anything wrong, and if there was, see if there was anything that she could do.

As Marques finally got her piece of toast in her mouth, Jean asked, "How is everything, Angie? I haven't had a chance to talk to you much lately, and the few times that I did get to speak with you, you seemed distracted." When she finished she put a piece of her omelet in her mouth and waited.

Marques swallowed her toast and took a sip of her still too hot coffee and she winced as the hot liquid burned her lip. She looked at Jean with, slightly embarrassed and said, "Sorry." She wiped her lip with her napkin and said, "I'm fine, Dr. Grant. Just a little tired lately." She blew into her cup and slowly took another sip.

Jean smiled and said humorously, "Lisa is a busy lady, isn't she?"

Marques smiled and nodded.

Not satisfied that that was what was really bothering Angela she asked, "Angela, you know you can talk to me, right? I mean if something is bothering you I'd like to help if I can."

Angela put down her cup and looked at the dark liquid as it settled. "Yes, Dr. Grant, I know that I can talk to you, about anything." She looked up at Jean and felt anger at herself when she saw the heartfelt concern in the brown eyes of Jean Grant. "And I really am fine."

Jean still wasn't convinced that her friend was telling the whole story, but she didn't want to push her either. They finished their breakfast, chatting mostly about the happenings in the infirmary and some minor gossip.

As they left, Jean looked at Angela and said, "See you later, Angie, and remember what I said."

Angela smiled and said, "I will, Dr. Grant, and thank you for everything." She lowered her voice in respect and looked at the floor, "I can't tell you how much everything you said means to me."

"Angie", said Jean. When Marques looked at her she continued, "You are my subordinate, but more importantly you are my friend. You don't have to thank me for being your friend."

All Angela could do was nod. They heard the announcement over the ship wide PA system for all personnel leaving with Admiral Hunter to report to the hangar.

"Gotta go, Doctor. I'll see you later."

"Be careful, Angie."

Marques headed for the hangar in a slow jog, and Jean thought to herself, _"I really hope she's okay"_, and headed for the infirmary.

----------------------------------

Sue Graham was eating a small breakfast in her quarters by herself. Not long after waking up she got a message that a slot had opened up on the Pegasus squadron, slated to leave the ship on a system wide patrol after lunch.

She had taken the flight certification test as soon as she could and passed with flying colors. After successfully earning her wings, she informed a couple of squadron leaders that she would be available to fill in if the need arose, and she had the opportunity to fly several times on routine patrols, which she enjoyed immensely. It was from one of those squadron leaders that she got the invitation to fly.

She would have to get the permission of Major Woods, but she was fairly certain it wouldn't be a problem. Her schedule for the day was light, and Woods had been more than supportive when she told him about going through flight training and taking some patrols. Besides, through her instruction, through her training and through the patrols that she had been on so far, the quality of her work at Fleet Intelligence hadn't diminished at all.

She finished her scrambled eggs and after making a final pit stop in her bathroom, she headed for Fleet Intelligence.

Six hours later, Alpha two-one-six, call sign 'Pegasus Five', leisurely banked left, increased speed and headed for the moon that had hosted the MED three months earlier.

Pegasus Five skirted the atmosphere, making the Alpha shake as the friction generated on the Alpha's underbelly by the atmosphere increased, and Sue tightened her grip on the stick and embraced the rush of adrenaline. She looked out the left side of the canopy to see the place that meant so much to her, the place that would be an essential part of her plan.

When she saw that place her heart pounded at the memories that easily flooded her mind. The memories always came easily because they were never far away. It had always happened when she visited the moon. It was almost a ritual.

She sighed, realizing her time away from the patrol squadron was up. She never even had time on this trip to drop off any of the items that her plan required, as she had done on a few of her earlier trips. She pulled the stick back and the vibrations eased up as she moved away from the atmosphere, and seconds later they stopped altogether. She looked at her radarscope and found the patrol squadron that Pegasus Five was a part of, about five minutes away at her current speed on a vector that would take them back to their ship. She kept her speed constant allowing herself a few more minutes of remembrance.

Her reverie was interrupted when a voice came over the TAC net. 'Pegasus One to Pegasus Five. Are you planning on joining us anytime soon, Commander?' She could hear the humor in the voice of Lieutenant Jonathon Roberts. The pilots of Pegasus gave him the nickname of Romeo, and it fit. He was a real ladies man, or at least he thought so, and in the few weeks since she had been introduced to him he had made several passes at her. She wasn't sure if he was genuinely interested in her or if he just considered her another possible trophy, but it didn't matter. His interest in her allowed her to gain from him some leeway when she was on patrol with his squadron, like the trip she just made to the moon.

Besides, she had her own interests.

She gently pushed the throttle forward, allowing herself to sink slowly into the seat as the inertial force pushed her back. She keyed open the channel and replied professionally, "Affirmative, Pegasus One. I'm thrusters hot and will catch up to you in sixty seconds."

His laughter came over the line, followed by, 'I was just kidding, Commander. Take your time, we're almost finished anyway.'

She smiled. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Pegasus Five out."

She eased up on the throttle a little and took in the stars. _"Now I can see why Angie never totally gave up flying"_, she thought with realization. _"I could never understand why she pushed herself so hard, gave herself the extra work and hassle to keep certified. Now I do."_

A few minutes passed and she rejoined the Pegasus patrol group.

'Welcome back, Commander', came Roberts' merry voice.

She answered him with a neutral, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

She heard Roberts announce to the squadron, 'Okay Pegasus group, our time is over. Let's return to the ship. I have the lead.'

One by one the Alphas of the Pegasus patrol group entered the main hangar bay of the SDF-3. After landing her Alpha, she powered down her ship and opened the canopy. When she took off her helmet, she shook her head and her long black hair waved back and forth, finally settling on her shoulders.

She ignored the admiring glances she received as she climbed down out of her Alpha and when she stepped onto the deck she heard, "How was the visit to the MED moon, Commander?"

She laughed to herself, as she always did when she heard the name that had been placed on the moon. "Fine, Lieutenant. Thanks again for letting me take the detour."

Roberts shrugged his shoulders and smiled at her. "Anytime, Commander. I can see why you would want to visit there every once in a while, where you faced your own mortality and all that."

She just smiled at him and let him think that he was right.

She looked at the watch on her wrist and said anxiously, "I better get changed and head to the office. Thanks for letting me join you today, Lieutenant Roberts."

"It's Jonathon, or Jon", he said with his smile still in place. "And it was my pleasure. If you ever want to go out again, let me know. I'll make room for you."

"I appreciate that, Lieut…Jonathon. See you later." She turned on her heel and walked towards the female pilot's locker room, highly aware of his eyes watching her.

As she walked away from him, Roberts admired the shapely form under the very tight fitting flight suit and said quietly, "I certainly hope so, Sue." He shook his head and headed for the male pilot's locker room.

----------------------------------

Graham exited the locker room after having changed into her regular uniform and headed towards the exit that was closest to the offices of Fleet Intelligence, the starboard exit. She was almost there when she heard someone announce from across the spacious bay, "Admiral on deck!"

Like everyone else on the deck she came to attention. He heart fluttered when she heard him happily say to everyone, "Carry on." She turned around to look at the midships entrance to the hangar and her breath got caught in her throat.

Graham took a moment to size up Admiral Rick Hunter. He was stunning in his uniform. _"But then he always was, and always is"_, she thought dreamily. His eyes were bright and dancing around the hanger, taking in the sights of the aircraft, pilots and maintenance personnel. As was the usual in the last four or five weeks, standing by his side was Max Sterling.

She was about to turn and head for the exit when she again heard, "Admiral on deck!" She automatically came to attention, and as she did she realized that there was only one reason to hear that order again. She was there.

Her blood began to boil over as Admiral Lisa Hunter announced from a shuttle in a pleasant voice, "As you were." Sue had been that focused on Rick that she hadn't even noticed that a shuttle had landed while she was changing into her uniform.

She looked at Rick, then at Lisa, and watched as Lisa walked slowly towards her husband. He began walking as well, towards her with a very big smile on his face. When they met they walked right into each other's embrace, not caring about the murmurs of surprise, jealousy, approval and warmth from the crew. She watched as Rick leaned back to look at Lisa and say something that made her laugh, and when her laughter stopped, Rick laid a very passionate kiss on her lips.

The hangar deck erupted in applause, cheers and whistles. It was about then that she had had as much of it as she could handle.

Sue growled and spun around to leave, but when she took her first step towards the starboard door she ran into someone. Literally.

She looked up and saw the deadliest green eyes in the REF, framed by long green hair that seemed to be snapping at her.

Captain Miriya Sterling looked at her and said, "Enjoying the show, Commander Graham?"

Miriya's voice betrayed the fact that she was obviously enjoying her discomfort with the situation, and that only made her blood boil more. "Excuse me, Captain…I didn't see you there. I'm sorry for running into you, ma'am. Excuse me."

She tried to step around her, but Miriya wasn't finished yet. She blocked Graham's path and said in a soft voice, "They make a cute couple, Commander. Don't you agree?"

Genuinely fearful of the female Sterling, she swallowed her original response concerning Miriya's heritage and said simply, "Yes…ma'am."

Miriya narrowed her eyes and said in an ominous voice, "I'm glad we agree on that, Commander. Dismissed."

Miriya, with a smile on her face, stepped aside to give her access to the hatch. Sue cast a glance back at the shuttle to see Marques, who exited the shuttle and was standing behind the Admirals, and then walked past Sterling without acknowledging her any further. She stepped outside the hangar and as the door closed she could still hear the buzz of excitement from the crew.

She walked quickly down the corridors, entered Fleet Intelligence and went straight to her office. She went inside and slammed the door shut and locked it, leaned back against it and took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down.

She succeeded and a couple of minutes later she sat in her chair behind her desk, but couldn't bring herself to do anything but remember the nauseating image of Rick kissing Lisa on the hangar deck.

It fed her anger towards Lisa. On the hangar deck was the first time in weeks that she gotten to see him. He had been avoiding her she realized, but that was okay. She avoided him as well, not wanting to bring any more attention to herself before it was time. And the time was coming.

It was then that she remembered his total absence in her life. She was too angry to cry. Too angry with Lisa, with Miriya and even herself for letting them get to her.

But she knew Marques had seen her on the hangar deck, and knowing her friend as well as she did, she knew Angela was on her way to see her, so she made the tears come.

----------------------------------

Angela was tired. She didn't realize that gallivanting around after an Admiral would be such hard work, and she wondered yet again how Admiral Hunter kept up the pace she set. Meeting after meeting, inspections and numerous functions. Angela was dead on her feet and almost had to crawl off the shuttle, but there was Lisa who hit the deck almost in a run to Rick.

"_Maybe it's because she has someone to run to"_, it occurred to her as she watched the Admirals hug and kiss.

Marques came up behind the Admirals and cleared her throat. It was one of the few times that she had actually been close to Rick, as she very rarely had an opportunity to be around him.

Rick and Lisa separated, and as they did Angela saluted.

When they returned her salute she asked Lisa in a tired voice, "Will there be anything else, Admiral?"

Lisa smiled and shook her head. "No Lieutenant. You go and get some well deserved rest." She turned to Rick and explained, "She kept up with me no problem. I don't know how she did it."

Rick laughed and reached over to shake Angela's hand. "Well done, Lieutenant. Lisa has gone through that many medics and security guards it isn't funny anymore."

Despite herself, Angela smiled. "Thank you, sir. She does run around a lot. Good night, sir. Ma'am."

"Good night, Lieutenant", said Rick as Lisa said, "Good night, Angie."

She turned around and headed for the starboard exit, the same exit she saw Sue Graham storm out through after talking to Miriya Sterling. And she didn't look particularly happy. She assumed by Graham taking the starboard exit that she as heading back to her office. If she was heading home, she would have left via the midships entrance.

Angela walked down the corridors, getting more and more tired with every step, but she refused to give in until she found out if her friend was okay. Graham had to see and hear the reunion of Lisa and Rick on the hangar deck, and knowing Sue's deep feelings for Rick, it had to hurt her. She wasn't sure where Captain Sterling fit into Graham's obvious discomfort, but she was sure that whatever was said or did, it didn't help Sue.

She entered Fleet Intelligence and headed for Sue Graham's office. She knocked on her door and waited for a response from inside. When there was no immediate response, Angela said softly, "Sue, it's me, Angie. Can I come in?"

She heard the door unlock. She reached down and turned the handle, opening the door just in time to see Graham collapse back into her chair behind her desk. Her eyes were red and her chiseled cheekbones were tear streaked.

Angela closed the door and went to stand beside her friend. As she put her left hand on Graham's shoulder she said quietly, "You'll be okay, Sue."

Graham looked up at her, tears still falling along her face. "It hurts so much, Angie", she said shakily. "I don't know how much more I can take."

"_I've never seen her be so emotional before"_, thought Marques. It made her uncomfortable to see Graham in such a state. She rubbed Graham's shoulder and Graham in turn threw her arms around Angela's waist.

Graham sobbed as she cuddled into her stomach, and Angela had to fight back tears of her own. She hated seeing Graham in such pain.

"It's going to be okay, Sue", she said as she put her right hand on Graham's other shoulder. "We're almost ready, and Andrea and I are behind you all the way. They'll never know what hit them."

Graham released her hold on Angela's waist and leaned back. When she looked up, she could see that her friend brightened up a bit.

Graham took a tissue out of her desk drawer and wiped her eyes as Marques sat down in the chair opposite her.

When she was done, Graham looked at her and said, "Thanks, Angie. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Come on, Sue", she said humorously, "your too tough to be anything but fine."

Sue laughed and said, "I may not be as tough as you think. One look at them together and I fell apart." She lowered her voice as she lowered her head and said, "I just love him so much."

Marques nodded and said, "I know, Sue. I know." She got up and said, "I have got to go home, clean up and get out of this damned dress uniform. Give me a couple of hours and come by. We'll see what's left to do. Okay?"

Graham looked up at her friend and nodded. "Thanks, Angie."

Marques smiled and as she took the door handle in her hand, she said, "That's what family is for, right?"

She turned the handle, opened the door and walked through. Before she shut the door she heard Graham say, "I suppose it is."

She closed the door and walked through Fleet Intelligence, and when she reached the door, she opened it and began the walk home, feeling very uncomfortable with herself.

----------------------------------

When Marques closed the door the smile that came upon her face was enormous. She felt bad for deceiving Angie like that, but she had been having doubts lately, serious doubts.

Angela needed to be on side with the plan, or it would have zero chance of success. She went over her plan in her mind and tried to work out the timing and details. She got up and went to the door, and after making sure the door was locked, moved to the safe in the cabinet behind her desk. She entered the combination and took out the small silver box she had placed in there recently. She opened the box and looked at the two small vials of liquid and smiled.

"_So much power"_, she thought to herself with wonder.

For Angie's sake she had actually tried to figure out a way to do the job without hurting anyone, but she couldn't come up with a way. At least two people would die, possibly as many as four or five, depending on the escort formation near the shuttle.

"_Andrea is right"_, she thought with increasing discomfort. _"I'm going to have to tell Angie about it, and I'm going to have to make her understand."_

She closed the box and after gently placing it back into the safe, she closed the door and locked it.

Satisfied with the security of the items, Sue picked up the communication headset and dialed the number for Andrea Grace's duty station.

"Andrea", she said when Grace answered, "we're ready, and we need to figure out how to tell Angie."

She listened to Grace for a few moments and she said, "Perfect. I'll see you then."

----------------------------------

Two hours later, Angela sat on her couch and waited for her friends to arrive. She had gotten home, showered, dressed and started to do some intense soul searching.

She thought about Andrea Grace and the trials and tribulations that they had been through growing up. It hadn't been easy for either of them, but having each other to count on and depend on got them through some pretty tough times. She thought long and hard about her childhood and she realized, with some affection, that she didn't have a single worthy memory of anything during her that time that didn't have Grace in it somewhere. They had done things for each other, and to each other, that catapulted their relationship beyond friendship, maybe even family. She owed Grace.

Her thoughts then turned to Sue Graham. She hadn't known Graham for nearly as long as Grace, but she felt as close to her as she did to Grace, perhaps because of the fact that their relationship was forged in their teenage and early adult years, when almost everything that happened was life shaping and serious. From her first class at the academy to her first time with a man, Graham had been there for her, as had Grace. But something about Sue Graham was more mature, so it was always to her that she had gone to concerning such things as romance, and to her recollection Graham had always steered her in the right direction. She remembered the first, and only, time she had fallen in love. He was a recruit at the academy and they were both training to be pilots. He was smooth talking, handsome and everything she had wanted in a companion. Not long after she finally made love to him, her first time, he broke it off suddenly. It wasn't long before she realized that that was all he had wanted from her. Graham was livid, and when rumors of his conquest caused snickers to be heard behind Angela's back, Sue went to the source and persuaded him to recant his stories and put an end to the gossip. He did, and the gossip ended, as did the snickering.

The last time she saw that man only a few short days ago, the scar Graham gave him was still very visible on his left cheek.

She owed Graham.

Her thoughts drifted to other things like her oath to the REF, her oath as a medical professional, and Lisa and Rick Hunter. Finally, she thought of the person who most influenced her life in the last few years: Jean Grant. She considered Jean much more than a friend. Jean put her on a career path that she hadn't considered but had come to love. And Jean was always there when she needed a hand, and she was always willing to listen and help.

She gave them all serious attention, but in the final analysis, it always came back to Grace and Graham.

She was so deep in thought that she jumped when someone knocked on her door. She got up and opened it to find Grace and Graham waiting. She left the door open and without saying a word she turned and walked back to the couch.

Graham and Grace looked at each other, realizing that Marques had been contemplating their situation, and followed her inside. They moved to stand in front of her, their united front.

Grace began, "Angie…"

"Wait", interrupted Marques. She stood up and faced her friends, and she could see the trepidation in their eyes. She let a slow, wide smile surface on her face and said quietly, "No matter what, we're in it together."

She watched as smiles came to the faces of her friends, and Graham said ominously, "On her next trip to Tirol then. Two weeks from today."

The three conspirators sat down on the couch and went over their plan, step by step by step…


	16. Chapter 16

gppr- Thanks. Is Angie going to go along with the plan? Read on.

k71- Thanks K. Scared for Lisa? Read on.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend a very warm thanks to Adena, who was kind enough to take the time and effort to be my beta for this chapter. Your corrections, input and thoughts were great and very helpful. Thank you kindly, Adena. :)

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He looked into her sparkling green eyes and couldn't help but feel her love. Those eyes had helped him through many trying times over the years, from the early days on the SDF-1 to now and all points in between. He could always count on those radiant eyes to lift his spirits with their glow, and failing that, he could count on them to guide him through the turbulent waters like lighthouse beacons. One way or another, he knew those eyes had saved him from many disasters. He knew they had saved his life.

And now…

And now they spoke to him. The alarm had not yet gone off, but Lisa and Rick were both awake, just looking into each other's eyes. Neither said anything. Not a word. Everything that Rick needed Lisa to know was being conveyed to her through the windows of his soul. The same was true of Lisa. Her emerald eyes finally closed as he leaned over to kiss her, and as their lips touched with incredible gentleness, the alarm went off.

They ignored it and their kiss deepened and deepened…

----------------------------------

Three hours later, Lisa sat in the shuttle going over the notes her aide had prepared for her, trying very hard to forget, at least for the moment, the amazing wake up call she had received from her husband. She would be meeting the commanding officers of all the REF bases on Tirol, numbering twelve, so she forced herself to concentrate on the notes. The meeting was being held at Base Alpha, a particularly heavily fortified base in the middle of nowhere.

_"Supply requisitions, personnel assignments, diplomatic options…how am I going to keep from falling asleep?"_

She laughed to herself and looked up from the notes. They were entering the atmosphere and the ride was getting a little bumpy.

Besides herself, the pilot and copilot, the only other people on the shuttle were Lieutenant Santana, her aide, Lieutenant O'Brien from Security and Lieutenant Marques. They were in their regular uniforms for this trip, not their dress uniforms like the last trip two weeks earlier, and Lisa was relieved immensely for it. She hated the dress uniform.

She looked at Marques who was checking over her field medic kit. Lisa found herself liking the young medic, despite her friendship with Sue Graham. They had talked several times since she had become her travel medic, and they had gotten along well. When Lisa found out that Marques had received this assignment she was wary, but Marques had been nothing but respectful and professional on the two or three trips that they had taken together.

She looked down at her notes again.

She got through the first page and as she turned to the second she repeated to herself, _"How am I going to keep from falling asleep?"_

----------------------------------

Angela Marques looked at Admiral Hunter. She was reading her notes, and from the expression on her face, Marques guessed that she was having a hard time maintaining interest in what she was reading.

"_She looks so happy this morning"_, she thought sadly. _"I'm so sorry, Admiral."_

She turned her attention back to her medical kit, and carefully stowed away the kit's inventory back in its case.

She paid especially careful attention to a little vial of bluish liquid and the miniature laser detonator that Sue Graham had given her. She remembered what Graham had told her the day before:

'_Here it is, Angie. The Tirolians have been using this stuff for years, and they haven't been able to design a test or scan to detect it. It's extremely powerful, but stable. It won't explode until it reaches its boiling point: 103 degrees Celsius. The laser detonator is set to emit a low energy laser charge into the top of the vial. At the setting it's on now, the vial should blow thirty minutes after the detonator is activated.'_

Marques sized the components up. Both of them put together only amounted to the size of her thumb.

For the next several minutes she went over the many conversations she had had with Grace and Graham over the last two weeks. They always involved some sort of reminiscing about the times they had, how they supported each other through thick and thin and how their friendships were all that they had. Angela wasn't naïve by any means. She knew what they were doing, and she didn't really mind. She had realized on her own that her loyalty to Grace and Graham was paramount. They were her friends. They were her family. They really were all that she had.

She couldn't let Graham continue to hurt if there was something she could do to help.

She just finished that thought as the shuttle landed at Base Alpha, on one of the southern continents. When the shuttle came to a stop, Marques stood up and waited as Lisa gathered her things together.

"You can go on ahead, Lieutenant", she said politely.

Marques shook her head and said, "That's okay, ma'am." She smiled and said jokingly, "I'm not in a rush."

Lisa laughed, stood up and headed for the door. Before Marques followed her, she activated the explosive and stuffed it underneath the cushion of the seat she had just vacated. She stood there for a moment, last minute hesitations and doubts flooding into her mind, but she shook her head and then hurried to catch up to Lisa.

All of the base commanders were waiting for Lisa at the bottom of the steps, and as Lisa walked down the stairs the military pomp began in earnest.

Marques didn't really notice the brass. All she noticed was the fact that the pilot and copilot remained aboard the shuttle, just as they always did, and she felt an honest pang of regret and sorrow because she knew that she would never see either of them again.

----------------------------------

Commander Sue Graham watched the arrival of Admiral Hunter's shuttle from a window in one of the many offices assigned to Fleet Intelligence on the base. She had come down the evening before on the pretense of needing to talk to the base's intelligence staff about some rumors going around about a black market for REF weapons.

She looked at the clock. _"Right on time, as usual."_

She watched as Lisa Hunter emerged from the shuttle, followed closely by her security escort, aide and finally Angela Marques.

She set the countdown on her watch for twenty-nine minutes and activated it.

The smile that graced her lips would make the hardiest person feel uneasy.

She looked at the explosive device on the desk. It was identical to the one that Marques had on the shuttle, except for the fact that it's detonator was set for a ten minute detonation. In a minute, she would leave and plant it in a place that would create a suitable distraction.

She went over the plan one more time in her head, looking for loopholes and anticipating every variable. Her plan wasn't simple, and she had made a lot of assumptions and they were taking a lot of risk. They would need some luck. Nevertheless, she reckoned it was the old risk versus reward game. In her case the reward, Rick, far outweighed the risk, getting caught.

Satisfied, she picked up the explosive and walked out of the office, towards the side of the base farthest from the shuttle. It took three minutes. When she got there she started to inspect one of the Alphas, just as she had done on many occasions. After looking around to make sure that no one was watching her, she took out her explosive device and activated the detonator. After taking one last quick glance around, she hid the active bomb on the fuselage underneath the port wing. Her task completed, Sue Graham looked around a final time to see if she had been observed.

As far as she could tell she hadn't been, and she walked calmly back towards the center of the base, keeping an eye on her watch. She estimated it would take eight minutes at her pace to reach her standby position near Lisa's shuttle.

----------------------------------

Angela Marques watched out the window of the conference room as Sue Graham walked by. It wasn't noticed by anyone else, but Marques saw that as she walked by, Graham had flashed her slender fingers on her left hand in a pattern. She stretched out all five fingers, closed them and then held out only her index finger.

Angela looked at her watch and did the calculation. _"Six minutes until the distraction, and eighteen minutes until the shuttle blows. Right on schedule."_

Marques quietly took out a small, fast ejection syringe. In it was a small dose of the fastest working sedative that the REF used, used to sedate severe trauma cases in the field. She set the dose to the appropriate amount, looked at her watch again and waited.

----------------------------------

Graham waited by the corner of the building nearest to the shuttle, about eighty meters away. She had gotten there a little quicker than she had anticipated, which meant that she had extra time to be nervous. She had a hard time controlling her breathing, but with some effort she managed to eventually bring it under control, just as the time approached.

She looked at her watch and silently counted down. _"5…4…3…2…1…now!"_

On cue, a deafening explosion sounded off on the far side of the base. Alarms sounded and announcements concerning evacuations and safety procedures followed in short order.

She counted to sixty, took a deep breath and ran towards the shuttle.

---------------------------------

Marques heard the explosion and moved closer to Admiral Hunter.

There was, as expected, mass confusion.

Marques looked at O'Brien and Santana and shouted, "Make sure the corridor is clear for the Admiral!"

They left and the officers that had gathered in the conference room began to leave in a hurry. Lisa made her way to the window, but could only see smoke rising up from the other side of the base.

"Admiral, we have to get you to the shuttle", said Marques.

Lisa hesitated for a moment still trying to see what the commotion was, but eventually she nodded absently and turned to leave. She went to the door and with Marques close behind her she headed for the shuttle. The corridor was abandoned by now, with everyone having made their escape or gone to their duty stations, and as they approached a briefing room near the main entrance Marques took out her syringe.

When they got to the door she said, "I'm very sorry, Admiral", and before Lisa could turn around she jabbed the syringe into her neck and pressed the ejection button. Lisa dropped without saying a word.

Marques hid the syringe in her bag and opened the door to the briefing room. She dragged Lisa inside and closed the door behind her. After she locked the door, she bent down and turned Lisa over onto her back, gently placed her index and middle fingers on her neck and checked for a pulse. It was slow, steady and strong.

"_So far so good"_, thought Marques. _"The sedative should keep her out for a few hours."_

She got up, opened the door, and stepped outside. After she closed the door, she pulled a magnetic lock out of her bag and placed it on the door. She used the code that Graham had given her and she heard the lock take a hold.

Satisfied at that, she ran outside to find O'Brien and Santana waiting.

Marques looked at them with horror on her face. "Where's the Admiral?" she demanded.

O'Brien and Santana looked at each other and then at Marques. "We thought she was with you!", exclaimed O'Brien.

Marques shook her head. "We got separated. She told me to head for the shuttle and she'd meet me there."

They looked towards the shuttle and realized it was in the process of taking off.

Santana breathed a sigh of relief. "It's taking off, she must be on board."

Marques nodded her head and said, "We better head inside and find out what's going on."

As she turned to leave, she noticed Graham nod to her as she went into the building that Lisa Hunter was in.

----------------------------------

When Graham had reached the shuttle she bolted up the stairs, and when she entered the copilot raised a rifle and pointed it at her chest.

"I'm Commander Graham with Fleet Intelligence", she said breathlessly.

The copilot lowered his weapon in obvious relief and asked, "What's going on, Commander?"

"No time to explain. The Admiral is being taken to a secure site on the base, but to ensure her safety I want you to take off and head back to the ship. Inform the tower that you have the Admiral on board in case the transmissions are being monitored, and once you take off maintain radio silence until you're on final approach to the ship. Do you understand?"

He nodded. She knew from the info that Grace had gotten from Montgomery that the escort squadron would try to get confirmation from the shuttle that the Admiral was aboard, so she pressed on. "It's imperative that you tell the tower that the Admiral is on board! Got it? And maintain radio silence! Even with the escorts. We can't risk anyone intercepting any communications that could compromise the ruse."

He saluted and said, "Yes, ma'am."

She returned his salute and headed to the door. When she got to it she turned and said, "Take off as soon as you can."

She ran down the steps and headed for the building in which the meeting was being held.

She couldn't hide the smile on her face as she heard the shuttle's engines begin to power up.

She nodded at Angela as she entered the building and headed down the corridor. When she found the door with her magnetic lock on it her smile widened. She unlocked the lock, opened the door and entered.

She looked at Admiral Lisa Hunter sleeping on the floor, and said to herself, _"He's mine Lisa, or at least he will be when I'm rid of you."_

----------------------------------

The pilots did as the Fleet Intelligence Commander had instructed them. They radioed the tower and informed them that Admiral Hunter was aboard and that they were taking off. The tower acknowledged their transmission and gave them clearance to leave immediately.

And they did. Once they checked in with their escort squadron they observed radio silence, as they were told to do. Several times the leader of the escort squadron had requested a status report on Admiral Hunter, but they would not answer. They were approximately six minutes out of Tirol when they received a transmission from the SDF-3. The pilots heard, 'Shuttle One, this is Admiral Rick Hunter aboard the SDF-3. Put my wife on the line. Now.' The pilot looked at the copilot and said, "He sounds pretty pissed." The copilot nodded and opened the communication channel.

He was about to speak when the shuttle blew apart into a million pieces.

----------------------------------

Rick was in the Sit. Room when all hell broke loose.

The shuttle wasn't responding to the escort squadron's status report requests, and it made him mad. "Shuttle One, this is Admiral Rick Hunter aboard the SDF-3. Put my wife on the line. Now."

He was aware of the explosion on the base and that the shuttle reported having Lisa on board before they took off. He was relieved that she had made it off the planet, but he wouldn't be happy until he heard her voice.

He heard the telltale squeal of the channel being opened and he listened for his wife's voice, but instead of hearing Lisa speak to him he got a short burst of high-pitched static, and then dead silence.

"Rick!", exclaimed Vince, who was watching the shuttle's approach on the radar screen.

Rick looked over to Vince. He heard the shock in Vince's voice, and it unnerved him. "What is it Vince?"

Vince Grant looked at him, and Rick could see something in Vince's eyes that he never saw before, not even when his sister died: tears.

"Rick…"

"Come on, Vince." Rick was getting scared now at Vince's reaction.

'Admiral Hunter', came the voice of the escort squadron leader through the speakers. 'It is my very sad duty to inform you that the shuttle carrying Admiral Lisa Hunter has…exploded.'

Rick just looked at Vince with disbelief. "Vince…that can't be!" He looked at the screen. The blips representing the shuttle and two of the escort squadron were gone.

Rick began to feel the room spin and he staggered backwards until he came up against one of the control panels, and as Vince moved to him he heard him holler, "Get me confirmation on Admiral Hunter's location." When Vince reached him he said, "Rick, hang on, she might not have been on the shuttle."

Rick just nodded, in shock and uncertainty.

A communication technician turned around in her chair to face them.

"Sirs." When they looked at her, they noticed the tears flowing down her round cheeks, and when she spoke again her voice cracked with sorrow. "Base Alpha confirms…that Admiral Hunter… was on board Shuttle One when it took off." She focused her look on Rick and said softly, "I'm so sorry, sir."

He opened his mouth, but words eluded him and he thought to himself, _"She's gone. Oh my God, she's gone. What…how do I go on without her? Lisa."_

Rick placed his right hand on Vince's arm, summoned all of his strength and mumbled instructions to him. "Vince…you have command. Recall the escort squadron. Begin the…the investigation. You…you know what to do Vince. I'll be…"

He took a step towards the door and almost stumbled. As he tried to keep his balance, he felt Vince's massive arm go around his shoulder, and Rick couldn't help but quietly cry into Vince's shoulder as he helped him leave the Situation Room.

----------------------------------

Angela Marques waited with O'Brien and Santana in an office on the third floor of the base's main building. They had been found not long after the shuttle had taken off and escorted to the room.

They all looked up as the base's senior intelligence officer, Captain Michaels, entered the room. He was a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and an athletic body that Angela couldn't help but admire.

Without preamble he began. "The shuttle carrying Admiral Lisa Hunter exploded in space shortly after takeoff. There were no survivors."

Marques put on her best surprised face, while O'Brien and Santana just looked at him in shock.

He began his interrogation of them, asking them what they saw, whom they saw, what they did and so on.

He went on for an hour, and when he was finished his last words to them before he left were, "Don't leave the base."

----------------------------------

While Marques was being questioned, Graham went to the base commander, Captain Pearson, to ask for a way to get back to the SDF-3. As she approached the door to the base's command center, she could hear the buzz of the activity inside. The door opened for her and when she stepped inside, she looked for Pearson. He was near the communications console on the right side of the room having a very animated conversation with the base's chief of security.

She walked towards him, and as she got closer she heard him say angrily, "Recall all security personnel, Commander. If you need more people, get them from the other bases. Get this base locked down! No one comes in or goes out without permission from me! You got that? And I want a report on any suspicious activity on my base! Go!"

The security chief nodded, saluted and left to carry out Pearson's orders. When she passed by, Graham noticed the tears in her eyes and the redness in her cheeks.

Pearson picked up a communication headset and started talking to the tower about diverting air traffic to Base Echo, and when he noticed Graham waiting nearby he motioned her to come over.

She moved closer to Pearson and when he finished his conversation with the tower, he slammed the headset down on to the panel with so much force that it cracked into three pieces.

Graham swallowed the small lump in her throat and began. "Sir, I request permission to return to the SDF-3."

He ran his right hand through his hair and said tiredly, "Request denied. All the shuttles are grounded until we find out what happened to Shuttle One."

She looked at him and said, "Understood, sir. Is there anyway I could borrow an Alpha, sir?"

He looked at her as if she was insane. "Commander, Alphas are for trained pilots…"

She interrupted him by saying, "I am a certified Alpha pilot, sir. I received my certification a couple of months ago."

He looked at her, still uncertain.

"Captain Michaels has everything here under control, sir. I need to get back to the ship to help with the investigation from there. SDF-3 is a little understaffed in intelligence, sir."

He blew out a deep breath and finally said, "Alright, Commander. Go get an Alpha and return to the ship."

She saluted and said, "Thank you, sir."

He returned her salute. There was pain in his gray eyes and when he spoke there was profound sorrow in his voice. "Just find out what happened, Commander. Lisa Hunter is…was…a personal friend of mine."

She nodded and said, "Yes, sir."

She left and headed for the Alphas near the building in which Lisa was hidden. When she got there, she informed the guards on duty that she was ordered back to the ship and had permission to take an Alpha. They had already received word from the commander, so she had no trouble.

She walked up to a training Alpha and was about to climb in when someone said, "That's a training Alpha, Commander."

She turned and said, "I'm aware of that, Lieutenant. I have another intelligence officer that I have to pick up over by the main conference building."

"Sorry, ma'am", said the young male guard. "I wasn't aware of that."

"That's okay, Lieutenant." She climbed into the back seat and started the engines, not bothering to lower the canopy. She taxied over to the building where Lisa was sleeping and positioned the Alpha so that the aircraft obstructed the view of anyone who was trying to see inside the building.

She climbed down the side of the Alpha that was facing the building, looked around and saw no one. She knew by now that everyone would be holed up in various rooms on the base trying to figure out what happened to the shuttle, and those that weren't were mostly on the other side of the base trying to determine what happened to the Alpha that she blew up. She walked quickly to the room that Marques had hid Lisa in and opened the door.

She bent down and grabbed Lisa's hands, pulled her up, slipped her right arm underneath Lisa's left arm and wrapped it around her waist. Just when she was sure she had a good grip on Lisa, she heard the door open. She turned around, about ready to have a heart attack, and looked into the brown eyes of Angela Marques.

"Let's go, Sue!", Marques exclaimed as she checked the corridor to make sure it was empty.

There was still no sign of activity and they pulled Lisa along the corridor until they got to the exit.

Angela looked at Graham and said, "You get up into the cockpit and pull her up while I push."

Marques held onto Lisa while Graham climbed up, and once she got into the cockpit she reached down and started pulling Lisa into the front seat of the training Alpha, while Marques pushed her up as she climbed up behind her. Their years of conditioning paid off like never before, and their luck appeared to hold, as no one saw or heard them.

They finally managed to get Lisa into the seat and Marques, out of breath, looked at Graham and said, "Go!", as she jumped off the ladder and ran back into the building.

Graham didn't even acknowledge Marques' assistance. She lowered the canopy as she taxied out to the takeoff position and signaled the tower.

"This is Commander Graham requesting clearance to depart."

'Permission granted, Commander.'

She pushed the throttle forward and was thrown back into the seat as a result. She initiated a steep climb to minimize the amount of time needed to get out of the atmosphere and three minutes later, the Alpha was in the coldness of space.

She headed for the SDF-3.

_"Okay Sue. Everything so far has gone exactly according to plan. Not too much longer."_

She took a deep breath and opened the communication channel. "SDF-3, this is Commander Graham in Alpha four-four-seven. My scanners just picked up something out near the edge of the system. I'm going to investigate."

She held her breath. Her hope was that the people in the Sit. Room and on the bridge would be so cautious that they would want her to check out anything suspicious. Her fear was that they would be too cautious and order her to return to the ship or wait for backup.

'SDF-3 to Commander Graham. We aren't picking up anything. Are you sure you saw something?'

"Affirmative SDF-3."

'Proceed with caution, Commander. Skull squadron is airborne and can rally at your position in minutes.'

"Acknowledged, SDF-3." She finally allowed herself to breath. _"I can't believe this is working out so well. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it would go this well."_

Over the next fifteen minutes, she headed for the edge of the system, intermittently checking in with the ship as she went. As she approached her destination, she initiated the next part of her façade.

"Commander Graham to SDF-3. Mayday. I appear to have an electrical system malfunction. The gauges are going wild and I appear to be losing power."

She disabled the transponder and shut down her electrical systems. The knowledge concerning how to do that without triggering suspicion was one of the tidbits that Grace had gleaned from the unsuspecting Lt. Montgomery.

The SDF-3 responded, but even before they finished their message to her she radioed, "SDF-3, this is Commander Graham. If you can hear me, I'm setting down on the MED moon. I say again, I am setting down on the MED moon to perform a full systems check. Do you read me SDF-3?"

Before they had a chance to acknowledge her transmission, she cut power to the communication system and brought the ship in for a landing in Guardian mode. Once the craft had set down, she opened the canopy, stood up and looked at that special place. She looked at her watch and her mind processed that the Skull would be on their way by now, but it would take them at least thirty-five minutes to get to the moon from their location.

_"Lisa's new home."_

She sat down and maneuvered the Guardian's nose as close to the ground as possible. She got up again and began the arduous task of getting Lisa out of the Alpha. It took her fifteen minutes to get Lisa out of the Alpha and safely on the ground, and another ten minutes to get her into the cave. She hadn't anticipated using so much time in getting Lisa out of the Alpha.

She rested Lisa on the thermal blanket and looked around. Some of the patrols she had volunteered to do over the last few weeks were the perimeter patrol routes, which took her to the far reaches of the system and in particular, near the MED moon. On almost every trip she made out around the moon, she landed and dropped off something that was going to be needed for her plan. A thermal blanket, a heater, lights, food, water and of course, a set of shackles that she had attached to the wall of the cave. It had taken time and patience, but as she connected the shackles to the legs of Lisa Hunter, she realized the time, effort and patience were worth it.

She looked at her watch and realized she was running out of time.

Sue Graham looked at the sleeping figure of the woman she despised so much and said wickedly, "Sorry to leave you here without saying good-bye, Admiral, but my time is up. I'll be by tomorrow or the next day. In the meantime, pleasant dreams."

She left the cave at a run and headed for the Alpha. After she climbed aboard she reactivated the electrical systems, the transponder and the communications system.

She throttled up the Alpha and was airborne in seconds. She hovered the Guardian near the entrance of the cave for a couple of seconds and then took off upward. She reconfigured to Fighter mode and once she cleared the atmosphere she contacted the ship.

"Commander Graham to SDF-3. Everything appears to be back to normal. I'm returning to the ship."

'Any idea what you picked up, Commander?'

"Looks like it may have been an echo on the scanner, maybe a result of the electrical problem."

'Understood, Commander. What was the trouble?'

"Unknown SDF-3. I'll have the ship checked out when I land. My ETA is twenty minutes. Graham out."

She locked in a course for the ship and relaxed. The hard part was over, and the relief she felt was revitalizing.

She didn't know when she could return to check on Lisa. It all depended on the patrol routes and assignments. She wouldn't wait too long.

She couldn't.

She wanted to see Lisa in chains and her spirit broken.

She smiled a smile that only the devil would find attractive and said aloud, "Now Rick, you can be mine."

----------------------------------

Captain Max Sterling stood in front of the door to the quarters of his best friend and contemplated what to say and what to do. Actually, he contemplated what he could say and could do. Everything that came to his mind seemed so inappropriate or inadequate. He had just gotten in and never even bothered to change out of his flight suit. He needed to see Rick, tell him how sorry he was and help him in any way he could, though he knew there was only one thing that could help him, and that was beyond the abilities of everyone.

When Vince had contacted Max to tell him the news about Lisa, he told him how he had to literally carry Rick to his quarters, he was so despondent. Vince also informed Max that Jean would stay with Rick for as along as she was needed.

Max inhaled deeply, and as he released the breath through his mouth he knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened and Max found himself looking into the tear filled eyes of Jean Grant.

"Thank God you're here, Max", she said. "He needs you."

Max entered and gave Jean a hug. When he released her he asked, "How bad is he?"

Jean just shook her head in response. "I wanted to give him a sedative so he could rest, but he wouldn't hear tell of it." She lowered her voice. "So I slipped a mild one into his water. I don't know how much he drank, so I don't know how sound he is or long he'll be out."

"It's okay, Jean. I won't leave him, and I'll make sure he rests and eats." Max smiled a little and said, "He's tough. He'll be okay."

He didn't believe what he said for a second.

Jean looked at him with concern. "I hope you're right Max." She took the door handle in her hand and said, "If you need me, I'll either be in the infirmary or in my quarters. Just call and I'll come running."

"Thanks, Jean." With that she was gone and Max closed the door. He looked around and his eyes focused on the couch. He remembered the last time he saw Lisa. She was sitting on the couch, full of life and exuberance. The last memory Max had of Lisa was her looking at him and laughing because he was blushing over the fact that he had blushed when she had kissed his cheek that day he dropped Roy of to them on Tirol.

"_My God, if I'm thinking like this what is Rick going through?"_, he thought solemnly. His thoughts turned to his own wife. Miriya was on an inspection tour of the fighter squadrons aboard the cruiser _Icarus_ and would be back in the morning. Max was close to Lisa, and he knew that when he had the time to think about it after taking care of Rick, her loss would affect him greatly. But Lisa was Miriya's best friend. From the day they had met, Lisa patiently schooled Miriya in all things Micronian, especially the finer points of parenthood. Miriya would be devastated.

He walked quietly to the bedroom door and looked at Rick, who appeared to be sleeping restlessly on his back on the bed.

Not wanting to disturb him, Max sat down in the recliner and thought about how to best deal with the grief that his best friend, the closest thing he had to a brother, was going through.

He couldn't think of anything. He even tried to put himself in Rick's shoes, as painful as the thoughts were, but he knew in his heart that if he had lost Miriya, there would be nothing that anyone could do.

_"I'll just have to support him as best I can, I guess. Be there when he needs to talk, or needs to cry or needs to yell."_

It was all he could do. He leaned back in the recliner and thought about the heart warming emerald eyes that he would never see again.

----------------------------------

She had a splitting headache, and as she moved her legs, she could hear the rattle of …_"Chains?"_

She slowly opened her eyes and felt a wave of panic wash over her when saw nothing but blackness. She sat up quickly and rubbed her eyes, trying desperately to get them to focus. After several anxious moments, she realized that her eyes were working properly and that the light was the problem. More specifically, the lack of light was the problem. Among the items she could see in the dim light were a couple of portable lights, and after she lit the light that was right next to her and better illuminated her surroundings, her fears eased.

A little.

"_What in the hell? Where am I?"_, she thought a little groggily.

She tried to remember what happened.

"_There was an explosion and I was heading for the shuttle. Angie was behind me."_ As she remembered, she brought her right hand up out of reflex to the spot on the side of her neck where the needle entered. _"Angie said something, and someone stuck me with a needle. I…can't remember anything else. Who injected me…Marques?"_

She tried to stand up, but when she did, she realized that both her legs were attached to the wall via a set of shackles. She looked around and thought, _"Why do this place look familiar? Where have I…The MED! This was the cave that Rick was in! How did I get here?"_

She called out for help, but she knew there would be no one. Panic began to seize her again, but as she took in the situation and the items in the cave, she forced herself to calm down. She reasoned to herself, _"Field rations, water, lights, a heater…they want to keep me alive or they wouldn't have gone through so much effort. They'll be back."_

She didn't know all that had happened, but the amount of details that she could figure out and remember boggled her mind. Her thoughts drifted to who could be behind it all, though the answer came to her very quickly.

Sue Graham was the culprit. Moreover, she had help.

The tiny morsel of fear that she still felt was overcome by the red-hot anger that began to fill her body and soul. She was angry with Marques for helping Graham, she was angry with Graham for doing this to her, and even more angry for what she was planning to do to Rick, whatever it was. Her voice spewed utter contempt as she said, "You haven't won yet, Sue. And you never will."

Lisa thought about her next course of action. According to her training, the number one priority of a prisoner was to escape. With that thought in her mind, she began working on her restraints.

As she did, she saw in her mind the driving force behind her strength and confidence: her beloved husband.


	17. Chapter 17

Sphersian- Thanks.

Carla- We'll see, and thanks.

gppr- We'll see about Angie and Graham, not in this chapter though.

k71- Thanks K. I wanted to try something a little different.

D. Torres- Thanks.

Aiki- Thank you. As for poor Rick, check this out…

Once again, I have to thank Adena for going over this chapter for me. Again, your thoughts and corrections were right on and really appreciated.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

He looked into her sparkling green eyes and couldn't help but feel her love. Those eyes had helped him through many trying times over the years, from the early days on the SDF-1 to now and all points in between. He could always count on those radiant eyes to lift his spirits with their glow, and failing that, he could count on them to guide him through the tough waters like green lighthouse beacons. One way or another, he knew those eyes had saved him from any number of disasters. He knew they had saved his life.

But now…

But now, when he faced the greatest challenge he had ever known in his life, those eyes were only to be found in his memory, and while he found some solace in that, it wasn't the same. The sparkle wasn't the same, the radiance was dull and the glow was faded. They couldn't help him through this devastating time, because their absence in his life was the challenge that now faced him.

He watched her eyes close, as if in slow motion, and he knew that he would never see them open again.

Just when he thought that, they opened rapidly and had the most desperate look of helplessness in them, as though they were trying to tell him something important.

Rick's eyes flew open and he jumped off the bed only to slam hard against the wall. He was sweating profusely and his head hurt, and as he slipped down the wall onto the floor, he cried harder than he ever had before. "Lisa", he moaned in a heart wrenching tone, realizing that seeing her eyes this time was nothing more than a dream, and that he would never see their glow again.

"Rick!", he heard someone exclaim. He looked up to see Max coming toward him. When Max reached him, he got down on his knees beside him and as Max put his arm around his shoulder Rick said in between sobs, "She's gone…Max. Just like that…she's gone." Rick hid his face in his hands and let it all go.

Max looked at Rick and his heart ached for him. He'd spent the three hours since he had arrived at Rick's quarters grieving for Lisa himself in between dozing off. Just as Rick was the brother he never had, Lisa was the sister he had always wanted. He hadn't been able to figure out how to deal with his own feelings, how to deal with the pain of losing someone so close to him. His own grief paled in comparison to what Rick must have been feeling, and as such, he didn't have the slightest clue as to how to help Rick.

Rick raised his head up quickly as if he thought of something. "Oh my God, Max! What am I going to tell Roy? How…how can I tell him his mother is… gone forever?"

He tried to get up but his legs didn't want to support him and he fell back to the floor. He leaned his head back against the wall and took a deep, shaky breath.

"It's okay, Rick. Just stay here for a few minutes", said Max in a comforting voice. "We'll deal with it, and he'll be okay, I promise. He's a tough kid, just like his parents. Kids are resilient, Rick."

Rick looked up at him, and Max saw for the first time the utter despair in Rick's eyes. Max had seen Rick hurting before, emotionally that is. Like when Roy Fokker died, when Ben Dixon died, when the Earth was nearly destroyed and countless other times, but he had never seen Rick like this before.

"He's just a boy, Max." Rick shook his head and said, "Just a boy who needs his mother. How do I tell him, Max? How do I explain to a four year old little boy who adores his mother so much, that he'll never see her again?"

Tears filled Max's eyes as he thought of that. "I don't know, Rick. I just don't know." Max sat down next to Rick on the floor with his back against the wall, his arm still around Rick's shoulder, and said, "But we'll figure it out. You're not alone, Rick. We're here for you, and we'll figure it out."

Rick lowered his head and said in a whisper, "I need her, Max. I need her so much. A part of me is gone, but…I can still feel her Max. I can see her everywhere…I can smell her when I lie down on our bed…I can hear her laughter…I can…I don't know." He shook his head in resignation. He put his hands over his eyes, as if trying to block out the truth, and said, "She's gone."

Max opened his mouth to say something reassuring, but he knew it would be lost on Rick, so he did the only other thing he could: he held his friend and let him grieve.

----------------------------------

Captain Miriya Sterling walked through the corridors of the cruiser _Icarus_, on her way to the Captain's office just off the main bridge. Captain Matt Browne had sent a message to her asking her to go to his office as soon as possible. She had only met the Captain the day before, when she arrived aboard the _Icarus_ for her inspection tour. He was young to be a Captain but as she talked to him, she could sense that he was more than capable of commanding the cruiser. She found the ship and the crew very capable as well. _Icarus_ was a new ship, with an inexperienced crew and she really didn't know what to expect, but she admitted to herself that she was pleasantly surprised. The fighter squadrons were more than adequately well maintained and organized, and the other areas that she visited appeared to be what Max liked to call ship-shape.

She arrived at the office and knocked on the door. The door opened a short time later, and Captain Brown motioned to a chair as he said, "Please Captain Sterling, have a seat."

She moved inside and sat in the chair that Browne had pointed to in front of his desk. After closing the door, he moved around to the other side of his desk and sat in his own chair.

Miriya noticed with some interest that he didn't really sit down in his chair, it was more like he fell into it. Miriya took a moment to study the young Captain. He didn't look like the same young man she met yesterday. His hazel eyes had gone hollow and his face looked as if it had aged by a dozen years overnight. Something terrible had happened.

Fearing that something had happened to Max she asked, "What is wrong, Captain? Has something happened to Max?"

She felt immense relief when Browne shook his head and said quietly as he looked at her, "No Captain, Captain Sterling is fine." He looked down to his desk at a piece of paper. When he looked up his eyes were moist, and he tried twice to say something, but twice he failed.

He looked at her, and instead of trying to speak again, he picked up the piece of paper and handed it to her.

She took the paper from him carefully, as if it would bite her at any moment. She had a strange feeling in her stomach, a feeling she had only realized she got after living among the Micronians. Still, she very rarely had the sickly feeling, and for some reason, this time was the worst it had ever been. She read the note.

'_PRIORITY ONE MESSAGE._

_To: Captain M. Browne, CO, REF Cruiser Icarus._

_From: SDF-3 Communication Center._

_CAPTAIN'S EYES ONLY.'_

She looked up at him and was about to say that she wasn't authorized to read the message, but before she could say a word he said, "Go ahead, Captain." She could tell that it took a great effort on his part to keep his voice steady, and she began again.

'_PRIORITY ONE MESSAGE._

_To: Captain M. Browne, CO, REF Cruiser Icarus._

_From: SDF-3 Communication Center._

_CAPTAIN'S EYES ONLY._

_Captain, _

_It is with profound sorrow that the SDF-3 informs you of the accidental death of Admiral Lisa Hunter…'_

She stopped reading and mumbled, "No. It can't be." She looked at the young man sitting across from her and he nodded. When he spoke, he wasn't able to keep his voice from cracking. "The message…it has been verified, Captain."

Miriya's grip on the message tightened, wrinkling the paper. Her vision became blurry, and she realized it was because tears were forming in her eyes. She didn't often have that happen, and when it did it always annoyed her terribly.

She read the rest of the message, only barely registering the facts contained in it. Lisa was aboard a shuttle and it exploded in space. There were no survivors. Along with Lisa, the shuttle pilots and two Alpha pilots were lost. There was also some information about Base Alpha and an explosion there. When she was finished reading the message, she saw strange little marks on the paper that weren't there when he had passed it to her. She handed it back to Browne and said, "I'm sorry." The marks were tear stains.

"No apologies necessary, Captain." He leaned back into his chair and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "We received that message about an hour ago, meaning that the… incident… occurred about four hours ago. The investigation is already underway. They don't know when the…funeral service…will be yet."

Miriya just looked at him. She heard what he was saying, but she wasn't listening. "I will return to the SDF-3 immediately."

He nodded and said, "Your Alpha is fuelled and waiting for you, Captain." He stood up and moved to the door. Miriya got up out of her seat and moved to the door as well, and when she got there he said, "You're cleared to leave as soon as you're ready."

He opened the door for her and said quietly, "Please give Admiral Hunter my condolences."

She nodded and began to walk towards the hangar deck. She realized she had to go to her temporary quarters first to retrieve her flight suit and other things, so she turned around and headed in that direction. After she arrived at her quarters, she changed into her flight suit, packed her gear and headed for the flight deck again. As she approached her Alpha, the flight crew chief fell in along side her and said, "She's all set, ma'am."

Not wanting the chief to see the tears in her eyes and hear the pain in her voice, she simply nodded and kept walking to her Alpha. She put on her helmet and climbed up into the cockpit of her red Alpha. After closing the canopy, she said into the mic, "Skull Two requesting permission to depart." It took all of her strength and control to keep from breaking down as she spoke. Part of her said that she wasn't emotionally fit to fly, but it was quickly over ruled by her need to be with Max, and her need to help Rick. Finally the controller replied, 'Permission granted, Skull Two.'

Miriya eased the throttle forward and seconds later was on a heading to the SDF-3. After confirming her course on the navigational computer, she hit the afterburners. Skull Two zipped through space at speeds that would make most pilots lose their lunch, but Miriya wanted to go faster. Even this fast, the trip would still take close to an hour.

"_Lisa is dead. My best friend is dead."_ Next to Max, Lisa was the Micronian to whom Miriya felt the closest. It was Lisa who had helped in her in so many ways over the years, especially in areas that Max, as a male, could not help. It was Lisa who gave her sage advice about her relationship with Max, about female physical problems, about cooking and many other areas. _"What would I have done without her? What will I do now?"_ It was Lisa who helped her so much through the most fearful time in her life: being pregnant with Dana.

She focused and checked the gauges to make sure she was still on course, and with that done she let her mind wander back to that time in her life.

It was around the end of February, and she had become extremely sensitive and belligerent. There was no telling what side of the line she was going to be on at any given time, and Max was at a loss as to how to deal with her. It was so bad that even his famous patience was wearing thin…very, very, thin. One day in the first week of March, after an incident involving her and a flight crew member aboard the SDF-1, Lisa called her into a conference room to talk about what was wrong with her. She knew Lisa, but not well enough to have much of a reason on a personal level to trust her. That day she was in an extremely combative mood and at one point she pinned Lisa to the wall of the room and threatened her with severe physical harm. She released Lisa, only to have her step in front of her as she went to the door. Just as she was about to take a swing at her, Lisa narrowed her eyes in determination and said in a commanding voice that rivaled Breetai's, "Stand down."

Miriya smiled in the cockpit as the memory came to her. She had known Lisa to be a worthy soldier, but it was at that moment that she realized just how valuable a commander she was.

Lisa just stood there looking at her with fire in her eyes, and Miriya was awestruck at the authoritative presence she generated. Lisa told her in a tone that she took to mean that she wouldn't take no for an answer, to sit down. She did, and Lisa sat across from her and waited. After a few moments, Lisa said soothingly, "Miriya, I know that living with us has been confusing sometimes, maybe even frightening. Max has done a wonderful job helping you to adjust. I know that you wouldn't want to hurt him, but your attitude lately can't be helping him very much." Miriya looked at Lisa and could see the same look in Lisa's eyes that she saw in Max's when he was concerned about her. She was right. Max was getting more and more frustrated with her because of her moods and outbursts.

She still didn't feel comfortable telling Lisa Hayes her problems, but in the end she decided that she needed to tell someone, and Lisa seemed to be willing to help, the only human besides Max to offer. Miriya reluctantly opened up to Lisa and told her everything. She told Lisa how she felt tired all the time, how her breasts felt tender, how she felt sick sometimes and how she wanted with a vengeance foods she used to dislike.

Miriya looked down at the table. "I do not know what to do, Commander. I have never felt such things before, such fatigue, not even after a long battle. And never before have I felt so unwell. It takes all of my energy, so much so that I do not wish to move across the room. I am beginning to worry that maybe…that maybe I am not fit for Micronian life." She looked up and saw that Lisa appeared to be thinking. Lisa asked her when all of this started, and after thinking about it she responded that it had started almost a month earlier. Lisa smiled. She told her it was fine, and she wanted to take her to the infirmary to confirm her suspicion. Miriya became wary. She distrusted doctors and scientists, especially after the battery of tests they put her and other Zentraedi defectors through aboard the SDF-1.

Lisa promised her it would be fine, and that she would stay with her the whole time. For some reason, Miriya felt that she could believe her. After letting the doctors do their job, Lisa talked to the doctor, and when their conversation ended, Lisa walked up to her and gave her a hug. Miriya was baffled.

Miriya noticed a light blink on the computer screen and entered the appropriate course correction. She remembered what Lisa told her:

"Miriya, you're pregnant. Congratulations!" The smile on her face was brilliant. She had no idea what Lisa was talking about. "I'm…preg…pregnant?" She looked at Lisa mortified. "Is it contagious?"

Lisa almost doubled over as she laughed, and when she calmed down she explained, "No Miriya. You're going to have a baby." She still didn't understand Lisa's meaning, and for the next thirty minutes Lisa explained to Miriya what was happening, how it had happened and what was going to happen.

After she heard Lisa's explanations, she became suspicious again. "You lie!", she exclaimed. "It is not possible!" Lisa calmly explained what the doctors had told her about Human/Zentraedi reproductive compatibility and Miriya eventually realized that she was speaking the truth. She was terrified and a little disgusted, but Lisa assured her that she would be there to help her, and the soothing tone of Lisa's voice told her that everything would be fine.

For the next eight months, Lisa was there for her when Max was away, day and night, and everything turned out to be fine, just as Lisa said it would. And on that glorious October day when Dana was born, the first person to see her after Max and Miriya was Lisa Hayes.

She checked the navigational computer and realized she was only three minutes away from the SDF-3. She felt the tears gather in her eyes again, and though it bothered her as it always did, she realized that there was a reason she couldn't stop it. She cried for Lisa as she would cry for Max, Dana and Aurora.

She didn't lower her speed until she could actually see the hangar bay doors of the SDF-3, and then only slightly. She heard the panic in the voice of the Flight Control officer as he told her that she was coming in too fast. She didn't care, and only at the last second she hit the retro thrusters just enough to keep her from going right through the hanger bay and crashing into the far wall.

She opened the canopy and was on the deck before it had risen all the way up. She took off her helmet as she quick marched to the hangar bay door, not even bothering to change out her sweaty flight suit. She was a couple of paces into the corridor when she realized she still had her helmet in her hand. She walked back to the door, opened it and hurled the helmet back into the hangar bay with all her might. She barely registered the crash her helmet made or the exclamations of surprise and anger from inside.

She started her journey again and instead of heading to her own quarters, she headed for the place where she knew where Max would be. He would be with Rick.

She approached Rick's door and she noticed a couple of security personnel standing guard outside the door, and she knew Max was responsible for them. He would do anything he could to ensure that Rick would not be disturbed, even if it meant evacuating the entire deck.

The guards saluted as she got to the door, and she just nodded in response. She knocked on the door and moments later the door opened to show a very tired looking Max. The anger her tears had caused melted away as she jumped into his arms, and he held her with a strength that neither of them knew he had. He moved them into Rick's quarters, and Miriya noticed that one of the guards took the door handle in her hand and closed the door.

"Max", she whispered lovingly. "I'm so sorry."

She could feel the wetness of his tears against her cheek and she didn't care one little bit since they were probably mingling with her own. They stood there for a couple of minutes, just holding each other, supporting each other. As they held each other, Miriya contemplated how she would feel if she were to lose Max. He had been much more to her than just a husband. He was her teacher, her friend, her conscience and much more. Just by thinking about it, she felt a terrible emptiness in the pit of her stomach. She held him tighter, trying very hard to rid herself of that void.

She finally leaned back to look at Max. She didn't have to ask how he was doing, his eyes and face said it all. He looked exhausted. His eyes were red and hollow behind his glasses, with little bags underneath them. "How is Rick?" she asked quietly.

Max closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them again. "He's hurting, Miriya, badly."

She nodded her head. "What can we do?" She had lost subordinates, even acquaintances and friends, but never anyone so close to her as Lisa was.

"I'm taking him down to Tirol in a few minutes to talk to Roy", he said quietly. "Rick wants Roy to hear it from him, if he hasn't heard already. Jean called down and told the counselors to try to keep him from finding out until Rick got there; hopefully they were able to do it." He looked past her head to the bedroom door to make sure that Rick wasn't there. Satisfied that he wasn't, Max said quietly to her, "When we're ready to leave, excuse yourself and run down to the hangar deck and clear everyone out that don't absolutely need to be there. I don't anyone to see him like this."

She smiled and caressed his cheek. "You are the best friend he could have right now, Maximillian." He smiled weakly as he brought his forehead down to touch hers.

"I'm ready, Max", interrupted a hollow voice from the bedroom door.

Miriya turned around, looked at Rick and nearly stepped back in shock at his appearance. _"What is it Max says? He looks like death warmed over." _She walked over to him and as she approached him, she could see that he was fighting very hard to keep the tears from falling out of his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and she felt his arms go feebly around her waist. She didn't know what to say to him, so she just held him until he wanted to let go.

A few moments later, he let go and she stepped back from him. She looked into his eyes and said, "Anything we can do Rick, you need only to ask."

He tried to smile and said, "Thank you, Miriya." He put his hand on her cheek in gratitude and said to Max, "Let's go, Max."

Miriya nodded at Max and said, "I will go and change and perhaps come back here and wait for your return, if that's okay with you Rick." As he answered, she went to the door and opened it.

Rick nodded and said quietly, "Of course, Miriya. We…we won't be long."

She went out the door and hurried down the corridor. When she thought she was out of sight she started to run and moments later she was back on the hangar deck. She explained to the chief what she wanted done, and he attempted to get everyone's attention, but he couldn't. Miriya put two fingers in her mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle, just as Max had taught her.

Everyone turned their attention to her, and they all saw the look of seriousness in her eyes. She scanned the bay and announced loudly, "Clear the deck!"

When she saw that only a few people moved she took a step forward and yelled, "I SAID CLEAR THE DECK! NOW!"

This time everyone scurried off the hangar deck at break neck speeds, and seconds later the only people left in the hangar bay were the chief and Miriya. They stepped aside when they heard the door open. The chief looked at Max and said quietly, "Trainer One is ready, sir."

Max responded with, "Thanks, chief." They all went to the aircraft, and as Max climbed up into the cockpit and the chief gave the Alpha one final check, Rick went up to Miriya and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He looked around the empty hangar, then brought his gaze to her eyes and said, "Thank you, Miriya."

She hugged him and whispered, "I would do anything for you, Rick, as would Max."

He stepped back and smiled at her and then he joined Max in the cockpit. A minute later, they were gone and her hand came up to touch the cheek he had kissed.

Miriya went to her quarters, showered, put on a fresh uniform, and headed back to Rick's quarters. Grief wasn't something that she was used to dealing with, and she didn't know what to do. Max told her that people deal with grief in their own ways. Some people remember, some people cry, some people lash out and some people just go on.

When Max told her about that, she figured she would be the type of person to lash out… but lash out at who? Lisa taught her that sometimes problems didn't have a concrete answer, and that sometimes, you just had to sort things out yourself.

Miriya decided that this was one of those times she couldn't just lash out. She sat on the couch and, as she thought about Lisa again, her tears flowed.

----------------------------------

Trainer One landed at Base Delta and taxied to a complete stop. Max got out first and met the base commander, Captain Fredrickson, who was waiting to see Rick. As Rick got out of the Alpha, Max said to Fredrickson, "I would prefer that he not be bothered any more than necessary, Captain. As you can imagine, he's taking it pretty hard."

Fredrickson nodded his understanding. "Of course Captain Sterling. When he's ready I'll escort you both to where his son is waiting."

"Thank you, Captain", said Max appreciatively.

When Rick walked up to the two men, Fredrickson said, "Admiral, I'm so sorry about Admiral Hunter. If you'll follow me I'll take you to your son, sir."

"Thank you, Captain", said Rick. He and Max followed the Captain into the nearest building. Only three doors down the corridor from the main entrance stood a lone security officer, who saluted as they approached. Max nodded to the security guard and Fredrickson, and they politely moved farther down the corridor.

Rick stood in front of the door, and his raw emotions kept him from taking the handle. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, Max." He felt the reassuring hand of Max on his shoulder and he took the handle in his hand and turned it. The door opened and he took a step inside.

"Daddy! Uncle Max!", came the excited cry of his son. He ran to Rick, who picked him up and hugged him.

The counselor who waited with Roy quietly left the room and Max turned to leave as well. He stopped when he heard Rick say, "Max." He looked at Rick and said, "I'll be right outside if…"

"No, Max", interrupted Rick. His eyes were already filled with tears. "Please stay." Max didn't answer. Instead, he stepped back from the door and closed it. When he looked at Rick again, he saw him mouth the words, "Thank you."

Max smiled and sat down on a chair that was by the door. He watched his friend struggle to maintain control, and after a couple of minutes, he got up and went to Rick and Roy. He looked at Rick first, then at Roy and said in a playful voice, "How have you been little man?" He eyed Roy suspiciously and asked, "Have you been keeping out of trouble?"

Roy giggled. Max held out his arms to Roy and said, "Why don't you come up with me for a few minutes and give your Dad's arms a break?" Roy held out his arms and Max took the boy over to the window as Rick sat down and tried to find the strength to tell his son that he would never see his mother again.

Rick looked at Max and Roy as they watched an Alpha come in a landing. Roy was so excited and happy, and Rick's heart felt heavy with the knowledge that he had to ruin that happiness.

He cleared his throat and called out to his son. Max put the boy down and he ran over to Rick, who picked him up and placed him on his knee. "Roy", he began softly, "I have something very important to tell you."

Noticing the tears in his father's eyes, Roy kissed his father's cheek and said, "It's okay, Daddy."

Rick smiled despite himself. He brought up his right hand to move the hair out of his son's eyes, and as he tried to arrange the hair so that he could see Roy's eyes, he looked at the color of his hair and started as though he had just realized for the first time that his son's hair was the same color as Lisa's. He shook his head to try to organize his thoughts. "Roy, what I have to tell you, well, it's about Mommy. She was…she was in an accident Roy… a very bad accident."

Tears began to form in his son's eyes and Rick felt like his heart was cracking. "Is she okay, Daddy?" Rick looked into his son's blue eyes and said very softly, "No, Roy, she isn't okay. She…she…"

Rick broke down and brought Roy into a tight hug, and as he sobbed his son asked, "Is Mommy gone to heaven, Daddy?"

Max marveled at Roy's insight. Rick didn't want to let his son see him so upset, but he leaned back to look at his son anyway. A single tear rolled down the boy's cheek. He knew that he should tell Roy the whole truth; that Lisa was dead and she wouldn't be coming back. But he just couldn't. He smiled for his son's benefit and replied, "Yes, Roy. Mommy is gone to heaven."

Roy wiped his eyes, hugged his father and asked, "Is heaven a nice place, Daddy?"

Rick held onto him and replied, "Heaven is the nicest place, Roy."

Roy sniffed and Rick felt his little hand go up to rub his eyes again. "Is Mommy going to like it there?", the boy asked quietly. Rick answered, "I'm sure she will, buddy."

Roy asked, "Will we see Mommy again, Daddy?" Rick hesitated. He wanted to tell him yes, that someday they would see her again when they joined her in heaven, but he knew Roy wouldn't understand that at his young age. Not wanting to confuse his son, he replied, "No, Roy. We won't…we won't see Mommy again."

Roy tightened his hug around his father and whimpered against Rick's neck. Rick closed his eyes, wishing with all of his might that when he opened them again he would wake up from this terrible nightmare, but when he did open them a few seconds later he nearly screamed as he realized it was all really happening. He looked at Max, who could no longer hold back his own tears. They all stayed where they were for a few minutes and no one spoke. When Roy's sobs ceased, Rick looked at his son and asked, "Are you feeling okay, Roy?"

Roy nodded slowly and wiped the tears out of his eyes again. "I'm going to miss Mommy." The only thing that kept Rick from going over the edge was Roy's gaze. "I know buddy", he said quietly. "I'm going to miss her too."

He put Roy on the floor and turned him so that they stood face to face. Rick wanted him to come up to the ship so he could be with him, but he knew that he could barely take care of himself right now, let alone a rambunctious four year old. Besides that, there would be a lot to do in the coming days, and where would that leave Roy? Roy had spent the last number of weeks in the care of the camp counselors and in the company of his friends. _"Perhaps it's better that he stays here, where he can have a chance to be a normal child. He can't be a happy child on the ship at the best of times, what chance would he have now?"_ He looked at Roy and admired his strength. _"He seems like he's so much older than four years. He has all the best parts of you Lisa for sure, your strength, your wisdom…."_

As if reading the thoughts in Rick's mind, Roy asked, "It's not going to be fun on the ship, is it Daddy?"

Rick smiled. _"Maybe he's not reading my mind at all. Maybe he just knows what comes next." _He answered truthfully, "No Roy, probably not."

"Is it okay if I stay here, Daddy?"

Rick nodded and asked, "Are you sure, buddy?" Roy said, "Sure."

Max took that as his cue and picked Roy up, and Roy threw his arms around Max's neck. Max hugged Roy and said quietly, "Way to go, little man. Is it okay if I take you out to the counselor?"

Roy looked at Max and his heart skipped a beat as he saw Roy's blue eyes so full of hurt. He nodded and said to Rick, "I love you, Daddy." Rick stood up and went to his son, and after he kissed his forehead he said, "I love you too, Roy."

Roy cuddled into Max again, and as he took Roy outside, Rick collapsed back into the chair and listened to the sound of his heart shatter in his chest. He whispered, "That's one brave little boy you've got there, Lisa…"

----------------------------------

Forty-five minutes later, Trainer One landed safely on the hangar deck of the SDF-3. When the chief knew that Rick and Max were almost back, he contacted Captain Sterling to let her know, and moments later she appeared on the deck. She let out a shrill whistle, as she did before, and was about to yell when everyone scampered off the hangar deck.

She looked at the chief who laughed. "Would you mind coming to my next staff meeting, Captain? I could really use someone with your crowd control abilities."

Miriya smiled for the first time in hours and said, "It is a gift."

Only a couple of minutes later, Max and Rick were on the deck. When they approached Miriya, Max smiled and explained, "Roy preferred to stay on the planet, where he would have more fun."

Miriya took Rick by the arm, and as she led him to the door she asked, "Are you okay, Rick?" Rick patted her hand and replied, "Surprisingly, yes. He took it a lot better than I thought he would. Or maybe it just hasn't totally hit him yet, I don't know." He thought to himself, _"Or maybe he's just stronger than I thought."_

They walked the corridors of the ship, and when they got to Rick's door he said to the guards, "You guys can go home. I'll be fine."

They looked to Max for confirmation, and when he nodded they saluted their superior officers and left. Miriya opened the door and they all went in. She led Rick to the couch and when he sat down, he looked at Max and said, "You look like hell, Max. Go home and get some rest. I'll be fine."

Max shook his head. "No dice, Boss. I'm not leaving."

Rick appreciated what Max was saying and doing, but he needed some sleep. "Captain, I'm giving you an order. Go and get some sleep."

Max swallowed. He had never disobeyed an order from anyone before, especially not one of Rick's orders. He looked at his friend to gauge how serious he was, and Max could see that he meant business. "Fine. I'll be back first thing in the morning."

Rick smiled and said, "Fair enough. You too, Miriya. Scram."

Miriya took Max's hand and they went to the door. They both looked back at Rick, who closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the back of the couch. Max opened the door and they stepped outside, but before he could shut it, Miriya spoke up. "I do not think he should be alone, Max. I will stay. You go and get some rest."

He was about to protest, but the sternness in her green eyes stopped him. Instead, he leaned over and kissed her tenderly. "I love you. If you need me, call."

She smiled and said, "I love you too. And if you are needed, I will call."

She watched him walk away and when he was out of sight, she went back inside and closed the door. The noise of the door closing startled Rick and he opened his eyes. "I thought I told you to go home, Miriya."

Miriya took a seat next to him on the couch, looked at him and said, "I think it would be better if you were not alone, Rick." Rick opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word she said gravely, "And giving me an order to leave would upset me more than I already am, Admiral, so I would advise against it."

Rick knew he lost the battle. He sighed and said, "I'm not going to be great company, Miriya."

She smiled and said, "You don't have to be." She went silent for a moment, and she put her arm through his and put her head on his shoulder. "Max always tells me that people have different sides, Rick. I knew Lisa, and I think that I knew her well, but can you…would you tell me about the Lisa you knew."

Rick thought for a second. _"My Lisa…"_ He looked at the green haired woman attached to his arm and realized that he wasn't the only one who was hurting. Miriya and Lisa were very close. He couldn't remember the Zentraedi word that Miriya used to describe her relationship with Lisa, all he could remember was that roughly translated Miriya considered Lisa to be her sister soul. Lisa was more than a friend, more than family, even more than a mate would be to a Zentraedi. Max told him once that the closest thing to it that he knew of in human society was the blood brother relationship, but even that didn't encompass everything that Miriya thought of Lisa.

Rick brought his hand up and held Miriya's, and as he spoke about his wife, he smiled. "My Lisa, had the most tender touch I have ever felt…"

----------------------------------

Max did as his friend had ordered. He went home, showered, changed and went to bed. Sleep however, was a dance partner that didn't want to dance with him. Every time Max closed his eyes, he saw Lisa and her bright green eyes. He never admitted it to anyone, but he thought she had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

"_I'll never see those eyes again"_, he lamented.

He went over his long relationship with Lisa Hunter. For the most part, Max's memories of Lisa were intertwined with Rick, for obvious reasons. Their on again off again relationship meant that he ended up being the go to guy for the both of them, especially after the destruction of the SDF-1 and the deaths of so many of their friends.

Max remembered the many times that Lisa had been there for him. She always had a way of finding solutions to problems, especially some of the more complicated ones that can arise from being married to a Zentraedi. He remembered with some embarrassment that it was Lisa who figured out that Miriya was pregnant with Dana, while he was almost ready to throw in the towel on the whole thing.

Max got up out of bed and walked into the living room. He turned on the light, sat down on the couch and contemplated calling Jean to get something to help him sleep. He decided against that, and figured some exercise would do him some good. He went to his room and changed into some sweats, went to the closet and picked up his boxing gloves with the intention of throwing some punches at the bag. He turned off the lights and left his quarters.

As he walked down to the ship's recreation room, he remembered the day, not long before the SDF-3 left to find the Robotech Masters that the biggest threat to his marriage came back into his life. She was Max's first love, and she had broken his heart. But when she walked onto the tarmac at Fokker Base, all Max could remember was the love that they once had. He never meant for anything to happen, and nothing really did. They went to dinner a couple of times, but even to this day he knew something would have happened if it hadn't been for Lisa.

He entered the rec room and found with relief that it was empty, except for two female crew members walking on the treadmills. He put on his gloves, did some stretching and took a couple of soft punches at the bag. He punched and punched, and as he got into his usual rhythm, he thought about Lisa some more.

He had gone to their home looking for Rick. The situation was killing him. He really needed to talk to someone about it, and Rick was his best friend. Lisa answered the door, and she knew immediately that something was bothering him.

She smiled and said, "Come in, Max. Rick had to go to the base for a little while, but you're welcome to come in and wait for him."

Max looked at Lisa and nodded. She stepped aside and he walked into the living room. He stood there, not knowing what to do next. Lisa put her hand on his arm and said quietly, "Why don't you have a seat on the couch, and I'll get us something to drink. How about some tea?"

He nodded absently and replied softly, "Thanks, Lisa. Tea is fine." He could see the concern in her eyes, and he felt bad for adding to her already plentiful worries.

He heard Lisa turn on the kettle and get the things ready to make the tea, and a few minutes later she came back into the living room holding two cups of tea. Max took the cup she offered him and placed it on the coffee table. He just sat there watching the steam slowly rise up from the hot liquid.

"Max, if there's something you'd like to talk about, I'm more than willing to listen."

He looked up and saw her looking at him intently. He didn't really want to talk about it at all, but he had realized that he had to. His first choice was Rick, his best friend, but then he thought, _"Maybe a woman's view wouldn't be a bad thing."_

He cleared his throat and began. "I don't know where to begin, Lisa. I… well, there's someone…"

"You met someone", she finished for him. He was shocked that she knew, and he looked at her with panic written all over his face. If she knew, what did everyone else know?

Flustered, he asked, "What…how did…Lisa…" She smiled. "I didn't really. From a few things that Miriya told me and from what you just tried to say, it was a guess."

It was when she smiled that Max realized she wasn't upset or angry. He looked at her as she calmly sipped her tea, and when she looked up at him again, her eyes were full of support. Despite his anxiety, he felt himself relax. She wasn't judging him before knowing everything, which was his fear. "Well", he said calmly, "it's not that I met someone, it's more like I found someone that I lost a long time ago. She's an old flame. My…my first love, really." He told her the whole story of their previous relationship, how they fell in love and how she broke his heart, and by the time he was finished Lisa had moved from her chair opposite him to sit beside him on the couch with her arm around his shoulder.

"She showed up a couple of weeks ago, Lisa, and all of those feelings came flooding back. I couldn't stop it." He looked at the floor and said, "We've gone out to dinner a couple of times, but…I think if I wasn't careful things would have gone farther."

"Do you love her, Max?", she asked directly. "Forget about what you had years ago and what she did to you, and think about how you feel about her right now. Is it love, or is it the memory of a love long gone?"

Max hadn't thought of it like that. He assumed that what he was feeling was the resurfacing of a love that he had buried deep within himself. "A memory?"

She nodded. "When you see her, do you see her as she is now, or as she was when you loved her?" She hesitated and said softly, "When I first saw Kyle, I had strong feelings for him, Max. But I realized that it wasn't him those feelings were about. They were about the memory of my love for someone that he looked and acted like."

Max thought for a second and a small smile came to his face. "When I first saw her, she didn't look any different than she did years ago, but when I saw her after I did notice changes in her."

Lisa asked suddenly, "Do you love Miriya, Max?" Without hesitation he said, "More than anything."

She smiled at him and said, "So what's the problem? You had to think had about whether or not you love your old flame, but you didn't hesitate for a millisecond when I asked you about loving Miriya."

He perked up, and when she saw that she said, "It's that simple, Max. Now stop bugging me and go home to your beautiful wife. She misses you when you're gone, you know."

He stood up and asked, "What did you mean about some things that Miriya told you?"

Lisa stood up and walked him to the door. "Just that you've been a little distant every once in awhile. You have to tell her, Max. She's worried about you."

"I know", he admitted, "and I will." He hugged his friend and whispered gratefully, "Thank you, Lisa."

"Anytime, Max", she whispered back, "anytime."

There had been many times over the years, and true to her word, Lisa was always there anytime he needed to talk to someone.

His punching rhythm increased as he remembered, faster and faster. Punch….punch…punch…punch.

"Captain Sterling…"

He stopped punching the bag and realized suddenly that he was drenched in sweat, out of breath and his arms felt like rubber. He looked up at the source of the voice and recognized her as one of the women who were walking on the treadmills earlier. _"Ensign Sinclair"_, he recalled.

He bent over, put his hands on his knees for support and said breathlessly, "What can…I do for…you Ensign?"

She hesitated, not quite sure as to how to say what she wanted to say. "You looked like you were overdoing it, sir, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Sir."

Max smiled inwardly at her nervousness. He usually evoked calmness in the people he met. As he caught his breath he stood upright and said, "I'm fine, Ensign. Thank you for your concern. You're right, I was overdoing it just a bit." He smiled his boyish smile and quipped, "I'm not as young as I used to be."

The relief on her face was evident. She smiled and said, "No sir. Neither am I. Good night, sir."

"Good night, Ensign." He took off his gloves and walked out of the rec room towards home. When he got there, he got in the shower again, and as the hot water hit him he thought of Miriya. He had noticed the redness in Miriya's eyes and the puffiness underneath them. She didn't cry often, but when she did, it was easy to tell. She was putting up a brave front, but he knew that she was hurting just as he was. He smiled as the irony hit him. He would have expected Miriya to be the one killing the punching bag while he would with Rick.

He got out of the shower, put on a pair of shorts and a tee shirt and went to bed, and as he stared up at the ceiling, he remembered Lisa's eyes again. He thought of never seeing them again and he felt a tear run down his cheek.

----------------------------------

All through the night, similar scenes were played out throughout the SDF-3. The announcement concerning the accident and the death of Admiral Lisa Hunter was made reverently by Captain Forsythe, and almost immediately a pall fell over the usually activity filled ship. The REF had lost its brightest star, the person they looked to for inspiration and leadership, and they felt loss. Of course, everyone who thought of Lisa also thought of those she left behind, namely Rick and Roy.

In cabins on all decks, people grieved for Lisa Hunter. Some people cried alone in their quarters, while some people couldn't stand to grieve alone and sought comfort with friends and loved ones. Some people refused to cry or feel saddened by the loss, instead preferring to celebrate the rich life that Lisa had lived.

In the ship's Botanical Garden, the tears of Commander Amanda Fraser fell onto the soil as she gently tied emerald green ribbons around the red lilies that had survived Rick's raid.

In the male pilot's locker room, the usual cheerful banter and boasting about something or other was replaced by silence out of respect for their fallen leader. The female pilot's locker room, usually filled with gossip and talk of relationships, was filled with the sharing of memories of Lisa.

The flight crew chief, as a sign of respect, created a pattern for a decal to put on the Alphas. The design consisted of a silver star, representing Lisa's rank and her place in their lives as their shining star. In the center of the star was the red outline of a heart, representing the respect and love the men and women of the Alpha squadrons and flight crew had for her. Inside the heart was a golden letter "H". Satisfied with it, he assembled the pilots together on the flight deck, and when he asked if there were any objections to the decal, there was complete and total silence. By morning, every Alpha aboard the SDF-3 had the decal painted on it.

The officers on the bridge of the Super Dimensional Fortress worked in silence out of respect for their Admiral, speaking only when necessary. Captain Forsythe, by right and necessity now commanded the ship, and while he accepted the responsibility, he stayed at his station and never thought once about sitting in Lisa's chair.

Jean and Vince Grant stayed in their quarters. Jean had fallen asleep in Vince's arms as they sat on the couch reminiscing about their good friend. Jean had taken Lisa's loss hard, but so had Vince. Lisa was his sister's best friend, and as such, he had the honor of getting to know her very well. When Claudia died aboard the SDF-1, their friendship solidified even more.

Grief permeated the great ship, except of course, around the quarters of a certain Fleet Intelligence officer, where Sue Graham and Andrea Grace lifted wine filled glasses to celebrate the success of their plan.


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks Aiki. There won't be too much more torture. At least, I don't think there will be.

AddictedtoInuyashaFics, D.Torres and lia- Thank you guys very much.

Sphersian- Well, thank you kindly. We'll see what happens to Graham et al. As a friend of mine is fond of saying "Time will tell."

Carla- Thanks. I'm glad you felt that way, it's what I was trying for.

Adena- Thank you, for everything; being my beta, your patience, your effort, your kind words, your suggestions and so on and so on. You're the best.

GPPR- Thank you too. What's a story without a great villain(s), right?

I would also like to thank GPPR who did me the honor of creating an absolutely wonderful picture for my story. It is definitely worth it to go and take a look at GPPR's site, www. robotecha .com. Thanks, GPPR.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick and Miriya had talked for hours about Lisa, about their memories of her, good and bad. Rick had done as she had asked and told her about the Lisa that he knew, and except for the obvious intimate and physical elements of their husband and wife relationship, his Lisa was the same as the Lisa that she had come to know, respect and love. Much to her delight Rick had fallen asleep sometime during one of her stories about her friend. Even more important to Miriya, was the fact that he seemed to be resting comfortably. She got up from the couch and lid Rick down on his back. She went to the closet, got a couple of blankets and returned to the living room._ "He is beyond exhausted"_, she thought sympathetically as she placed one of the blankets over him. She sat down in the recliner, leaned back in it and spread the other blanket over herself. She looked over at Rick and saw that he was still sleeping peacefully. As she fell asleep a few minutes later in the recliner, a small smile graced her lips.

----------------------------------

As Rick slept on the couch in their comfy quarters, Lisa slept on the thermal blanket in her uncomfortable prison. She had worked on removing the shackles for hours, taking only the quickest rest breaks, and she had managed to undo the one on her right leg before her body screamed for sleep.

She lay down on the blanket, the hard surface of the cave floor easily negating the cushion of the blanket, and stared up at the ceiling of the cave. Her mind ran over the events of the day, replaying them again and again.

Her thoughts turned to Rick and Roy. She had no idea what they knew of her situation and what they were going through. Did they believe she was missing? Did they think she was kidnapped? Did they think she was dead? Either possibility meant that her son and husband would be in terrible pain right now, and that filled her heart with an unlikely mixture of sorrow and anger.

Lisa rolled over onto her side and tried without success to get comfortable. She held out her left hand so that the symbol of her and Rick's promise to love each other forever glistened in the low light. Her wedding ring was as shiny now as it was when Rick had slipped it onto her finger years ago, and despite the situation, she felt comfort when she looked at it. She missed Rick and Roy terribly, and not knowing what they were doing and how they were feeling was eating her inside. She felt a tear roll down her cheek and she felt a terrible sadness for going as long as she had without thinking about the two most important people in her life.

She let the anger take control even as the tears flowed, letting it override everything else so that it could feed her desire to return to those she loved so much, and she resolved to do whatever she had to do to see them again.

----------------------------------

Rick woke up to the smell of coffee and burnt toast, and he wasn't sure because he was still half asleep, but he thought that he heard a familiar voice utter some Zentraedi curse words. He sat up on the couch, stretched, rubbed his eyes and remembered that Miriya had stayed with him all night. She had told him some wonderful stories about Lisa that showed aspects of her that even after all these years he didn't know she had, and while he was very glad to hear those things about her, it made him miss her even more.

If that was possible.

He got up and moved to the kitchen doorway and when he looked inside, he couldn't help but smile. Miriya was putting more bread in the toaster, and according to the pile of black toast on the plate next to the toaster, it was her third or fourth attempt.

Before she put down the bread he said, "Good morning, Miriya."

She whirled around, obviously startled and brought up a butter knife in a defensive pose purely out of reflex. Rick instinctively ducked when he saw the flash of the knife in her hand, and when he looked up at her and their eyes met, they both laughed.

As Rick stood up he said, "I'm sorry, Miriya. I didn't mean to startle you." He moved to the toaster, adjusted the toasting setting to a lower level and turned it on.

She placed the butter knife on the counter and scratched her head, more than a little embarrassed by the situation. First off, she was embarrassed that Rick had startled her, and secondly she was embarrassed by the pile of burned up toast sitting on the counter. She said sheepishly, "It's okay, Rick. I'm sorry I woke you. You appeared to be having a peaceful sleep." She looked at the pile of charcoal on the counter and said quietly, "Max had one of the engineers limit the settings on our toaster." She looked at him and smiled. "It comes out perfect every time."

Rick's eyes became distant and he smiled. "Lisa always has trouble…had…trouble with this toaster." He hesitated for a second to stave off the flood of emotions caused by the memory. "You didn't wake me, Miriya." He popped the toast and placed it on a plate. He put in another couple of bread slices and turned to face her. "Miriya, I want to…"

Miriya closed the distance between them and placed her index finger on his lips to stop him. It was a maneuver that worked particularly well when Max did it to her, and she was happy that it worked on Rick as well. "Do not thank me. I did what any true friend would do. Besides, I should thank you. You shared your memories of Lisa with me, and…and I really appreciate it."

She removed her finger and Rick asked, "Even?" She smiled and gave Rick a hug. He hugged her back as she whispered, "Even."

He broke their hug and popped the toast, and placed it on top of the other slices. Miriya picked up the cups of coffee, Rick picked up the toast and they headed to the table. They placed the coffee and toast on the table and sat down. Miriya nibbled at a piece of toast and Rick just sat there, staring at nothing in particular. He thought of the last time he and Lisa ate breakfast together the day before. _"She had scrambled eggs"_, he thought absently. _"What was it she said? 'I can't go another day without those famous scrambled eggs a la Hunter.'"_ He smiled even as his eyes welled up with tears. Lisa loved his scrambled eggs.

Miriya looked at Rick and she could see that he was not totally with her. She wanted to leave him alone with his thoughts, which she knew had to be of Lisa, but still…"Rick?" He looked at her and she said, "Please eat something. If you do not want toast I'll get you something else."

Rick looked at Miriya. He was about to tell her that he wasn't hungry, but he saw the deep concern in her green eyes, so he took a piece of the toast and chewed on it for her sake. He just had the first bite taken out of it when there was a knock on the door. He put the toast down on the plate and was about to get up when Miriya said in a semi-stern voice, "Eat. I will get the door."

Rick picked up the toast and took another bite as she got up to head to the door. As she reached for the door, she knew that her husband was on the other side. She didn't know how she knew, she just did.

She opened the door and there stood Max. She quickly scanned his features before hugging him tightly. _"He looks like he got some sleep"_, she thought. She leaned back and looked at him, and when she did Max kissed her gently.

"I missed you", said Max quietly. She smiled and he asked, "How is Rick?"

She could feel the sadness fill her eyes, and when he saw that, she knew he didn't need an answer. "We talked for a while last night about Lisa, and he fell asleep. He seemed to sleep well. I've been trying to get him to eat for a few minutes, but he's barely picking at his toast." She hugged him again and whispered, "He misses her so much."

"I know", he whispered back.

"Good morning, Max", came Rick's voice from the living room. Max released Miriya and looked at his friend. He still looked tired and shell shocked even though Miriya said he did get some sleep. He watched as Rick headed for the couch, and Max was taken aback by the absence of the swagger in Rick's step that was usually present. It wasn't a swagger borne of arrogance or even rank or self-confidence. It was something else. Rick didn't always have the swagger, and Max had often tried to pinpoint when Rick developed it. It wasn't until just that moment that he realized when it was. _"It was when Rick realized he loved Lisa and they got together"_, he thought sadly. _"That was when it started. Now Lisa was gone, and so is the swagger."_

As Rick sat on the couch, Miriya went to clean up the kitchen and Max sat down in the chair opposite the couch, placing two folders he had brought with him on his lap. Max waited for Rick to start a conversation. As was often the case over the years, where Rick would lead he would follow…gladly and without hesitation.

Finally Rick said, "Have you checked in with Vince, or the Sit. Room? Any news?"

Max finished Rick's question in his head. "_Any news about the investigation?"_ One of the folders on his lap was given to him by Vince Grant. Max had no intention of even mentioning the folder or its contents to Rick, but in the end he figured Rick would want to see it, and perhaps Max thought, he needed to see it. "I talked to Vince a little while ago. He asked me to give you this if you felt up to reading it. It's the timeline of the events preceding the…the explosion." He held out the folder to Rick, and for a moment, he hesitated.

Rick stared at the folder in Max's hand._ "What are you afraid of Rick? It's only a report on the death of the woman you love. No big deal."_ He took a deep breath and took the folder from Max in his trembling hand. As he opened it, Miriya entered the room and sat on the arm of the chair that Max was sitting in. He slipped his arm around her waist and she put her arm around his shoulder.

Rick opened the folder and began to read the preliminary report. _"An Alpha exploded on the base…sabotage suspected but no trace of explosives…Marques said Lisa headed for the shuttle, and the pilots told the tower she was aboard…Shuttle exploded almost seven minutes after takeoff…no evidence of mechanical failure according to the shuttle's telemetry readings…sabotage suspected…two Alphas got caught in the explosion."_

Rick read the report again, and by the time he had finished, his eyes were moist with tears. He looked at the addendum to the report, which contained the names of those lost. _"Commander Hunt, Lt. Montgomery, Lt. Styles, Lt. Cmdr. Finch and…and Lisa."_ He rubbed the tears out of his eyes before they had the chance to fall and closed the folder.

He handed the report back to Max and said quietly, "I want to talk to Marques. She was the last person the see Lisa…", he swallowed and closed his eyes as he finished the sentence, "…to see Lisa alive."

Max nodded his head and said, "She's still on the planet, but we'll get her up her in a couple of hours." He took the other folder off his lap and held it out for Rick to take. Rick looked at Max, asking what it was without saying a word. "There are numerous, and I mean numerous, messages of condolences inside", Max explained of the folder. Again, he had not really intended on letting Rick deal with it right now, but once he decided that Rick should see the report, he figured it was just as well to keep going with the condolence messages. Rick didn't move to take the folder, so Max opened it up and listed some of the many organizations, leaders and people who sent their sympathies to Rick. Max went through the list, randomly selecting examples and reading them, and when he came to the end of the list he swallowed. He looked at Rick and said in a surprised voice, "There's even one here from Minmei."

Rick looked up and showed interest for the first time since he started reading them. Max handed Rick the note, and as he read it a smile came upon his face. He handed it back to Max and said, "The place of origin is listed as Tirol. I didn't know she was so close. She always was a good friend."

Rick got up off the couch and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to freshen up. Get a shower, a fresh uniform. You guys can go on home, and I'll see you in a little while."

When Rick shut the bathroom door, Max looked at Miriya and said, "I'll stay here with Rick." Miriya nodded her agreement and said, "I will go and get Marques."

Max shook his head and said, "No. Marques is a pilot, she can fly up herself. Call down and tell Pearson to give her an Alpha. Give her an hour or so to freshen up when she gets back and then go and tell her that Rick wants to see her."

Miriya hugged Max tighter and said, "That, my husband, sounds like a plan."

Max looked at the folder in his hand and said with amusement, "Minmei." He noticed the scowl on Miriya's face and couldn't help but laugh a little. "Come on, Miriya. She's his friend…their friend."

It was Miriya's turn to laugh, and as she gently shook her head she said, "Ah Maximillian. Minmei is many things, but I do not believe for one second that she is Lisa's friend. Not by a long shot."

Miriya kissed Max's forehead before getting up. She headed for the door and said, "I will see you in a little while, Max." He replied, "You bet, beautiful." She smiled and closed the door behind her, and when Max heard the shower turn on in the bathroom, he opened the first folder and read the report for himself.

----------------------------------

Angela Marques climbed out of the Alpha she had brought up to the SDF-3 from Tirol. She had been granted permission to return to ship, as had O'Brien and Santana, but the shuttles were still grounded which meant that they had to remain behind while she could commandeer an Alpha and fly up herself. She hadn't actually commandeered the Alpha, it was given to her by the base commander, but either way she wasn't complaining.

Rumor had it that Admiral Hunter nearly collapsed when he heard the news and that Commander Grant had to take him to his quarters, where he had stayed since except to go to Tirol to see his son. The only visitors to his quarters were the Grants and the Sterlings.

The Grants and Sterlings were Hunter's closest friends, so after Rick had secluded himself in his quarters the flow of rumor information had ceased. The Grants and Sterlings would tell no one anything.

The twenty-plus hours after Lisa's "death" had been hectic for Marques. Captain Michaels held interrogation sessions almost every hour after the shuttle explosion. It was the same routine and same line of questioning every time. His theory was of course, that if they were lying about anything that eventually they'd trip up and he'd have them. It didn't work on O'Brien and Santana of course, they were innocent. And Marques was intelligent enough not to fall into the trap.

She checked in with the flight crew chief and then with Flight Control. After being dismissed, she headed straight for her quarters, where she intended to have a very hot bath.

She was tempted to stop by Graham's quarters to check in, but she was too exhausted. She turned the corner and headed for the door to her quarters. She opened the door when she reached it and once inside, she closed the door and started taking off her flight suit in the living room.

Having admitted to herself a long time ago that she was very self conscious about walking around in the buff, she thought to herself, _"I wouldn't care if the entire crew were in here right now, this suit has got to come off."_

The zipper moved freely down the flight suit and within seconds, she was going into her bathroom in her underwear. She turned on the water for her bath and as the tub filled, she looked at herself in the mirror.

"_I look like hell",_ she thought to herself with some amusement. She was tired, but that wasn't all. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but she had a good idea. It was easy to see the effect that the "death" of Admiral Hunter had on the crew. The personnel on Base Alpha were saddened and upset by her loss, but the SDF-3 crew members were devastated. She could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices the second she got out of her Alpha, and the profound sadness that everybody she had come in contact with emitted, made that nagging feeling become stronger and stronger. It was almost unbearable.

She shook her head as if to clear her mind of any such feelings and turned off the water. She looked in the mirror one more time, finished getting undressed and got in the water. It was really hot, but it was what she needed, and a short time later, as the hot water relaxed her aching muscles, Angela Marques fell asleep.

----------------------------------

Lieutenant Jonathon Roberts approached Commander Sue Graham as she performed her preflight check. She was bent over, looking underneath the starboard wing, and his eyes settled on her shapely figure. He had been trying to work up the nerve to ask her out, but it was proving more difficult than he had anticipated. Sure, he was everything that a fighter jock was stereotyped as: confident, cocky, outgoing, and everything else. He usually never had a problem with women, and he figured that he had even been with more than his share.

But something about Sue Graham was different. He wasn't sure if it was that she seemed immune to his charms, that she was a little older than he was, or that she was a superior officer. Whatever the reason, he couldn't be himself when he talked to her.

He stood behind her now admiring her attractive curves as she continued with her check. Even before he had seen her in a flight suit, he was sure she had a gorgeous body. The flight suit just highlighted it.

He cleared his throat and asked, "Everything all right down there, Commander?"

She stood up and looked at him, and he couldn't help but notice a little grin in her face. "Yes Lieutenant, everything seems to be fine."

He smiled. He deliberately avoided looking at anything but her eyes. "Yes, well everything looks fine from here." He saw her narrow her eyes and he said quickly, "Good. We take off in ten minutes, Commander."

Her black hair waved to and fro as she nodded. "Very well. I'll be ready."

"See you out there, Commander." He turned and began the walk to his own Alpha. He thought to himself as he walked, _"I bet you're always ready, Sue."_

----------------------------------

Sue Graham watched Lieutenant Roberts walk away, and for the briefest of moments, she thought he was hitting on her. She shook her head and finished her pre flight check. She had asked if she could join this patrol to get a shot at checking on her guest on the MED moon. There was no trouble from Woods; he had his hands full with the investigation, even though most of the investigating at this point was occurring on Tirol.

She picked up the bag she brought to the flight deck. In it was an assortment of field ration packs, water packs and a few other items. _"Bread and water"_, she thought amusedly as she tossed the bag up into the cockpit.

She turned to look at Roberts as he announced, "Okay Pegasus wing, we're ready to go. Head to your Alphas and be careful out there."

She put on her helmet, and as she put her hand on the ladder to board her aircraft she thought, _"Was it just me, or did he look at me when he said to be careful?"_ She began the climb up and her eyes fell upon the freshly painted decal underneath the canopy. When she had first seen it a little over an hour ago, she thought it was a very nice design, although she didn't have a clue as to why it was there. That opinion turned extremely sour when one of the regular pilots told her what the decal represented and that it was put there out of respect for Admiral Hunter. She had nearly lost it and screamed in the pilot's face out of frustration and anger, but she instead kept the smile on her face. She tore her eyes from the detestable image and got into the cockpit.

When she made herself comfortable in her seat, she carefully stored her bag along the side of the seat and buckled her safety harness. After completing that task, she turned her attention to initiating the pre flight sequence. _"Power plant…check. Navigational computer…check. Hermetic seals and life support…check. Weapons systems…check. Radar…check. Communications system…check. Threat alert system…check."_

As she finished the start up routine, she heard a voice come through her communication channel. 'This is Pegasus One. Sound off.'

She heard the rest of the squadron say their number and status. She couldn't wait to get off the ship. The melancholy atmosphere was killing her. When her turn came she said calmly, "Pegasus Five, ready and standing by."

Five minutes later, it was her turn to leave. She glanced over the gauges and readouts, and when she was totally satisfied that everything was as it should be she moved the throttle forward. Seconds later, she was in standard formation with the rest of the Pegasus squadron.

She thought about the events of the past twenty hours. With the help of Grace and Marques, she had managed to hood wink the entire REF into believing that a xenophobic group of Tirolians had managed to infiltrate a REF base and somehow sabotage Admiral Hunter's shuttle. She didn't have anything to do with the group; it was just their bad luck to be at the top of the REF watch list. The investigators found no trace of any explosive materials in the wreckage of the Alpha on the base, or the pieces of the destroyed shuttle that had already been salvaged, just as she knew they wouldn't.

She followed the flight leader as he made a course adjustment, and into the coldness of space, she laughed.

----------------------------------

Angie had just put on her uniform when someone knocked on her door. _"Must be Sue or Andrea"_, she thought as she went to answer the door. She took a second to tuck her still damp hair behind her ears, forced a smile on her face and opened the door. The smile quickly disappeared when she saw Miriya standing there with her hands clasped behind her back.

Angela came to attention and stammered, "Captain Sterling…ma'am. What…ah, what can I do for you, ma'am?"

Miriya eyed the young Lieutenant, and seeing that she apparently had sufficient time to gather herself said, "I wish you to follow me to Admiral Hunter's quarters, Lieutenant. He would like to talk to you."

Marques' eyes opened wide and she swallowed hard. _"Admiral Hunter wants to see me?" _She said hesitantly, "Of course…Captain."

Miriya stepped back and waited as Marques closed the door to her quarters. When she was ready, Miriya looked at her and said, "Please follow me, Lieutenant." They began the walk towards Rick Hunter's quarters, and Angie tried desperately to figure out what was going on. She knew that they hadn't figured it out, or a security squad would have come to get her, not Miriya Sterling. She couldn't see how they even suspected anything, especially after the constant grilling at the hands of Captain Michaels turned up nothing. Her thought process came to a halt when she stood in front of Admiral Hunter's door.

She just stood there, not knowing what would happen next. Miriya turned to face her, and Angie saw for the first time a softness in the eyes of the Zentraedi. "Lieutenant, Admiral Hunter is…well, as you can imagine he is taking the loss of his wife very hard. He may seem…very emotional. Be prepared."

"Yes, ma'am", said Angie quietly. That nagging feeling was starting to swell.

Miriya opened the door and walked inside. When Angie saw her nod her head, she went inside as well. Max Sterling was sitting on the right side of the couch, and when he saw her he stood up and said, "Welcome back, Lieutenant. Admiral Hunter will be out shortly. He's in his room talking to one of the counselors from his son's camp. Have a seat."

Angie sat down in the chair that faced the couch and replied with, "Thank you, sir." Miriya sat in the recliner and Max leaned back into the couch. They sat in an awkward silence and Angela resisted the urge to wipe her brow and loosen the collar of her uniform and thought, _"Is it just me or is it really hot in here?"_

She was about to ask them why Admiral Hunter wanted to see her when he appeared in the bedroom doorway. Her military training made her stand up. It was subconscious instinct, not conscious action. Military protocol was the farthest thing from her mind when she saw him, in fact the only thought going through her mind was, _"Oh my God! He looks… destroyed!" _He looked at her with eyes that seemed to be little more than empty holes. _"They aren't lifeless"_, she thought, _"but they're close."_

He moved to the couch, sat down and brought his eyes up to look at her, and he seemed to notice for the first time that she was standing. "Please Lieutenant, sit down."

She obeyed and lowered herself into the chair. _"Even his voice is little more than a whisper."_ She didn't know what to expect, so she waited.

Finally Rick said, "I wanted to talk to you, Angie, because according to the reports, you were the last person to see Li…Admiral Hun…Lisa, before she got on the shuttle."

Angie swallowed hard and said, "Yes, sir."

He leaned forward and she could see that he was upset to the point of tears. "Can you tell me what happened, Lieutenant?"

Angie hesitated as she felt that nagging feeling surge into her chest like a tidal wave. She opened her mouth to speak when he said, "I know it's hard for you, Angie, but I need to know." His faded eyes caught a hold of her brown eyes. "Please."

She couldn't look away from him, no matter how hard she tried. "Of course, sir. I'll tell you what I can." She watched him as he sat back in the couch, and when he was settled, he cast the smallest glance over to Max. If she weren't looking at him so intently, she would have missed it. Sterling didn't and he asked her, "Can I get you anything, Lieutenant? Something to drink perhaps."

She forced herself to look away from Rick and looked at Max. "Yes, sir. Water would be fine." She looked around the room and was astonished by the sheer number of diplomas, awards and certificates on the wall. _"She was first in her class. Awards for valor, meritorious service, distinguished service, combat service, purple hearts."_ She looked to another part of the wall and saw almost as many pictures, pictures of the Admirals and their son. There were even pictures of the Sterlings and the Grants. She looked over to Rick, who was looking at his hand and rubbing one of his fingers. It took her a second to realize that he was looking at his ring finger, and he was reverently caressing his wedding band.

"Here you go, Lieutenant", said Max as he handed her a glass of water. She had to concentrate hard to keep the glass from shaking in her hand. She took a sip, and she placed the glass on the coffee table.

She took a second and told them the story that she, Grace and Graham had come up with. "We were in the conference room, Captain Perkins was rambling on about the supply requisition process and Admiral Hunter seemed to be, well sir, not totally listening." She paused as Rick smiled at the image of Lisa being bored silly. "Well sir, the explosion sounded, and everyone shot out of the room going to their posts or to secure locations. Except for the Admiral. She wanted to know what was going on, so she went to the window. O'Brien and Santana went to make sure the way was clear, and I told Admiral Hunter that we she had to go." She took a sip of water, going over in her mind the same story she had fed to Michaels. She replaced the glass on the table. "There were still people milling about in the corridor and we got separated by a group of security people running along to their stations I suppose. She said to head for the shuttle and she'd meet us there." She lowered her gaze to the floor and whispered, "That was the last I saw of her, sir." She looked up and added, "By the time I got out and met up with O'Brien and Santana, the shuttle was taking off."

She watched as Rick leaned forward, placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed the tears from his eyes. He stayed there like it for several moments, and when he spoke, he barely kept control. "How was she, Lieutenant?"

Angie wasn't sure what he meant, but she said, "She was fine, sir. She wasn't afraid, sir, she was in total control. She wanted to know what was going on and what she could do to help."

He seemed satisfied with her answer, and she was relieved. He got up and she stood up as well. When he approached her, he held out his hand and said as she took it, "She liked you a lot, Lieutenant. She enjoyed your company, and she thought very highly of your professionalism." He released her hand and said quietly, "And I want to thank you for telling me about her last few moments, Angie. It couldn't have been easy for you."

She was amazed. _"Here he is totally devastated by his wife's death, but he still shows concern and compassion for me."_ "You're welcome, sir. I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to save her, sir." The nagging feeling was almost overwhelming.

Rick smiled a very small smile, almost saying that he wished the same thing, but he said, "There was nothing you could have done, Angie. Nothing at all."

She looked past him to the pictures on the wall and said softly, "No, sir. Nothing I could do." She turned and headed for the door. When she got there, she turned and said, "If there's anything I can do for you, sir, just let me know." She turned to Max and Miriya. "Sir. Ma'am."

They both nodded to her and she opened the door and stepped outside. As she closed the door, she released the breath she had been holding and started walking towards the quarters of Sue Graham.

----------------------------------

Sue sighed as she flew her Alpha on her assigned patrol route. Her route would take her very close to the Med Moon of course, and that was the way she wanted it. In a few minutes, she would contact Roberts and give him the usual story about wanting to visit the moon. She looked in the direction of the moon and smiled.

----------------------------------

Angela walked up to the door and knocked. She was still reeling from her visit with Admiral Hunter, and she needed some reassurance that she, along with Graham and Grace, had done what was necessary. The door opened and she looked into the face of her friend, Andrea Grace. She had decided to try Grace when she found no one home at Graham's quarters.

"Angie!", she exclaimed excitedly. She reached out and gave Angela a big hug, and when she stepped back she said, "When did you get back? Come in! Come in!"

Angela walked into Grace's quarters and quickly noticed the wine bottle and two glasses on the table. It dawned on her that Andrea may already be entertaining so she turned around and said quietly, "I didn't know you had company Andrea, I'll come back later."

Grace laughed as she realized what Marques meant and said, "No Angie, there isn't anyone hiding in the bedroom." She gently prodded Angie towards the couch. "These", she said as she pointed to the empty wine bottle and glasses, "were for me and Sue last night. We started in her quarters and ended up here." At Angela's perplexed look she said, "In celebration of a flawlessly executed plan."

Marques sat back on the couch and quoted, "'Flawlessly executed plan.' I guess it was at that." She again looked at the wine bottle and said, "When I saw the empty bottle I figured you were with your Lieutenant Montgomery."

Grace laughed hard and fell into a chair. Marques didn't know why what she said was so funny, and as she watched her friend try to reign in her laughter, a queasy feeling came over her.

Finally in control, but still smiling broadly, Grace said, "Scott's dead, Angie." Marques was shocked, not only by the information but also by Grace's cavalier attitude as she delivered it. "He was one of the two Alpha pilots who got caught in the shuttle explosion." She leaned forward and looked at Angie. "You didn't know?"

Angie shook her head and whispered, "No." She looked at Grace and said louder, "No. I knew that two Alphas were destroyed but I didn't know who the pilots were." She had met the Montgomery a few times while Grace was getting her hooks into him, and she had liked him. She caught herself from asking Grace if she was okay with it. Her reaction as she explained the situation more than told the story.

She stood up and looked at Grace. "You look like you're heading to work, and I've got to check in with Dr. Grant, so I'm going to take off." She headed to the door. "I'll talk to you later, Andrea."

She opened the door and Grace asked, "Are you okay, Angie?" She turned to look at her friend, and even though Grace had asked her the question, she didn't see the same compassion and concern that she had seen in Admiral Hunter's eyes a short time earlier. She smiled and replied, "I'm great, Andrea. I'll see you later."

She walked through the door, closed it and headed towards the infirmary. While she walked through the ship, she couldn't stop seeing the pain in Rick Hunter's eyes, and contrasting it with the sheer joy in Andrea Grace's. She thought about the genuine concern for her feelings and well being from Admiral Hunter, while she could see that Grace's concern was out of a sense of self preservation. As far as Grace was concerned, if she was having doubts or feelings of guilt, it would mean trouble for her and Graham.

And as she thought about these things, that God awful nagging feeling just throbbed in her chest without lessening one little bit.

----------------------------------

Jean Grant was in her office, and though she had plenty of work to do, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. No matter what she tried, her thoughts went back to Lisa Hunter, and every time she thought of Lisa she cried. Lisa was one of the closest friends she had ever had. As if crying for the loss of Lisa wasn't enough, Jean cried for those Lisa left behind, her husband and her son.

Those close to Lisa and Rick knew of the special relationship between the two, born of years of friendship and hardship. They survived nearly insurmountable odds just in getting together, and they were a part of each other more than any other couple Jean knew. She wasn't sure Rick could recover from losing Lisa like this. She just hoped Rick could pull it together for the sake of his son, who would need him now more than ever.

Roy. The darling little boy loved his mother so much. Jean was sure Roy would be fine with time and love, but it would scar him terribly. Miriya told her of Rick's trip to see Roy, and much to her surprise and relief, Roy took the news better than she expected.

She took another tissue out of the box on her desk and wiped her eyes. When she was done she tossed the used tissue in the trashcan on the floor, but it was already overflowing with tear stained tissues so it bounced off the top of the pile and fell to the floor.

She was about to reach down and get it when she heard a voice say, "I'll get it, Dr. Grant."

Angela Marques stooped down and picked up the tissue, and after placing it on top of the pile she sat down in the visitor's chair. Jean looked at her and said, "I'm sure I look pretty bad, Angie, but you look absolutely terrible."

Marques looked at her commanding officer "I just came from…Admiral Hunter's quarters." She stopped and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

At Jean's surprised look she explained, "Captain Sterling came looking for me not long after I got back. She said that Admiral Hunter wanted to see me." She lowered her voice. "He wanted to talk to the last person to see his wife."

Jean nodded her understanding. He wanted to talk to the last person to be with her, so he could be closer to her himself. Jean studied Marques. She was deeply shaken by the visit. "How was he, Angie?"

Angela looked at Jean and said in a quiet voice, "He's…he's so hurt, Doctor. He's devastated. I haven't been around Admiral Hunter that much, but whenever I did see him he was civil, confident and…happy. But the man I just saw, it's not the same man." When she finished she looked at the floor.

Jean put her hands together on her desk and remembering her earlier thoughts she said sadly, "And he won't be, Angie. He will never again be the Rick Hunter we used to know."

Marques looked up at her with confusion in her eyes. "I don't understand."

Jean smiled. "Lisa and Rick. Rick and Lisa. The Admirals Hunter. How often, Angie, did you hear people talk about just Rick or just Lisa? I'm willing to bet that more often than not, when you heard one of them mentioned the other was close behind in the conversation. They are…were, a unique couple, Angela. You often hear that when people fall in love they become a part of each other. Well, Lisa and Rick personified that expression. Before they became a couple, Rick was a fly by the seat of his pants pilot, prone to outbursts, confident and somewhat ill disciplined. He was outgoing, to a point cocky, and his emotions often got the better of him."

Jean saw Marques raise her eyebrows in surprise, and she continued on with her smile still in place. "Lisa on the other hand, was the army brat. By the book and disciplined like no one you have ever seen. She kept her emotions in check and bottled up, especially in public. She was strict, and outside of work, she was quiet, insecure and to herself mostly, except with her closest friends. The only time she really got passionate was about work. Until she met Rick."

Marques looked at the floor again and Jean got the feeling that she couldn't look at her for some reason. She said softly, "You're not describing the Admirals that I know, Doctor."

"No I'm not, am I?" She leaned back in her chair. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, Angie. When they got together, after a long time of dancing around their feelings for each other, both of them changed, in positive ways. They took the part of the other that they were missing and became better people. For example, Rick learned from Lisa how to be more disciplined and keep his emotions in check when it was necessary. He learned from her how to be a great leader. Don't get me wrong, Rick didn't get to be Skull leader without leadership ability, but Lisa gave him that extra push he needed. Lisa on the other hand, learned from Rick how to be more confident in herself as a person, how to be a little spontaneous and that sometimes the book needed to be thrown out."

Marques closed her eyes for a second and thought,_ "Sue thinks he is a born leader. What else is she wrong about?"_

Jean's smile disappeared and her voice took on a somber tone. "With Lisa gone, so is a part of Rick, a very important part that he will never find again. The same holds true for those people close to her. Max and Miriya. Vince and me. She was more than our commanding officer, she was much more." Her voice faltered a bit as she added, "We won't be the same without her."

Marques looked up at Jean quickly. She stammered, "I…didn't realize you were so close…I'm so sorry Doctor."

She stood up and went to the door, but when she got there Jean called out, "There's no need to apologize, Angela. It's not your fault."

Angela Marques turned around to look at the person she admired most and said in a very quiet voice, "No… not my fault. Good bye, Dr. Grant."

Jean nodded to her and said, "See you later, Angie."

Angie walked out of the infirmary as fast as she could, lest that nagging feeling catch up to her and engulf her. But even as she almost ran through the corridors of the ship, she knew the feeling would be wherever she went.

----------------------------------

Lisa was trying to undo the shackle on her left leg when she heard a familiar sound. A Guardian mode Alpha had landed close by. Hope flared in her heart, but she forced herself to be wary. Her military mind went over the options, and she concluded almost immediately that whoever was coming was most likely the person responsible for her abduction and imprisonment. _"In other words"_, she thought bitterly, _"it could be Sue."_ She used a damp ration pack napkin to clean the dirt from her face and raked through her hair with her slender fingers. To keep her successful work hidden, she reattached the one restraint she had already opened, without locking it, smoothed over her uniform, tucked her hair behind her ears and waited.

Lisa could feel a sudden chill in the air and resisted the urge to hug her arms around herself to stave off the cold. Seconds later she saw a light dance off the walls of the cave. Someone was coming, and when she finally saw the wide smile of the woman who had become her nemesis, Admiral Lisa Hunter cleared her mind of all emotion, put her hands behind her back, and vowed not to give Sue Graham the satisfaction of seeing anything but defiance and strength.

----------------------------------

Graham landed her Alpha on the Med Moon not far from the cave. It had been easy to get permission from Roberts to make this visit. All she had to do was bat her eyelashes and feed him the usual story. She opened the canopy, picked up her bag and climbed down the ladder. She looked at the cave, took a deep breath and began the short walk up to it. When she got to the entrance of the cave, she took a high powered flashlight out of her bag, turned it on and moved inside

She walked in slowly and saw light from within the cave. She turned off her light, placed it back in her bag and moved in just enough to look at the cave's only resident…the woman she despised so much.

The second Sue laid her eyes upon Lisa, her hatred for the woman flared up like a nova. The Admiral looked at her now as she stood with her hands clasped behind her back, exuding an air of confidence. Despite the events of the past day, Graham could see no evidence that Lisa had so much as shed a single tear, and much to her consternation, aside from the torn and dirty uniform, Admiral Lisa Hunter still looked every bit the embodiment of the REF. More than that, she still had the grace and beauty of the wife of the man Sue loved so much. Graham tried to read Lisa's eyes, but they would reveal nothing to her about Lisa's frame of mind and emotional state.

That made her blood boil.

She pushed those thoughts aside, lowered her bag to the floor of the cave and smiled broadly as she said, "Good morning, Admiral. How are we doing today?"


	19. Chapter 19

GPPR- Angie did what she thought she had to do, but who knows. I don't…not yet. And you're welcome for the plug. ;)

Dax- I can say with absolute certainty that Sue Graham will not end up in the Jupiter Division…can't say the same about the execution part…and thanks for the kind words.

Carla- Thanks.

Sphersian- All your questions have answers (I think), and they will become apparent soon (probably). Have patience, and thanks.

And thanks to my ever ready beta...you rock, Adena.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

As the old saying goes…you could cut the tension in the cave with a knife. Lisa looked at Sue Graham…Sue looked at Lisa Hunter…and the game began.

"Good morning, Admiral. How are we doing today?"

Lisa wanted so very badly to just walk up to Graham and physically remove that smug grin off her face, but reason prevailed over emotion. She was not in a position to do much of anything…yet. "All things considered, Commander", said Lisa, keeping her voice neutral, "not too bad. And how are you?"

Graham laughed a little…a wicked little laugh that sent shivers down Lisa's back. "I'm doing very well, Admiral Hayes."

Lisa saw what she was doing and thought, _"You little…"_ The use of her maiden name was an obvious ploy aimed at getting her riled up, but Lisa refused to take the bait. "I see. Nice of you to drop by."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Admiral." Graham had been watching Lisa intently for any sign that the use of her maiden name had bothered or upset her. Seeing that it hadn't, Graham knelt down and rummaged around in the bag she had brought with her. She finally found what she was looking for, and when she pulled it out of her bag Lisa saw that it was a file folder.

Sue gave Lisa a little laugh as she stood up. "This is for you, Admiral." She took a cautious step forward and threw the folder at Lisa's feet, much as a zookeeper would throw food to a hungry, dangerous lioness. Lisa was tempted to make a grab for her to try to end this madness, but she was still too far away to guarantee success. She carefully reached down and picked up the folder. As she looked the folder, Graham stepped back to stand beside her bag. Sue looked at Lisa and said smugly, "Open it."

Lisa waited a second and opened the folder. When she did, she found a memo from the SDF-3 communications center, dated and time stamped from last evening. She read it silently. _"To all REF personnel, from Capt. R. Forsythe, commanding officer of the SDF-3…"_She didn't have to read anything else; Forsythe was commanding her ship. _"…with profound sadness announces the passing of Admiral Lisa Hunter in a shuttle explosion…"_

"_Calm down, Lisa"_, she thought as she calmed her breathing and mentally reinforced the impassiveness on her face. Out loud she said, "All right, Sue, I'll ask the obvious question: what's the meaning of all of this?"

"As far as everyone is concerned, Admiral…", she said, "you're dead." Her last two words came out musically, and seeing the dismayed look appear for a fleeting moment on Lisa's face only made Graham laugh. "Oh yes, Admiral", she said through her laughter. Then her laughter suddenly stopped and Sue Graham used her talent of crying on demand to let go a few tears, and as she wiped them away she said in a feigned mournful voice, "The decks are awash with the tears of your mourning crew."

Lisa watched in amazement as Graham put her face in her hands and pretended to sob, but after a few seconds of it the sobs turned to back to laughter, and when Graham's face stopped hiding in her hands, it was glowing. "You see, minutes after the explosion on the base, someone ordered the pilots in your shuttle to tell the tower that you were aboard and that you were going back to the SDF-3, for your safety naturally. Of course, by that time, you were unconscious and nowhere near the shuttle, but bless them, they did as they were told. And when they died when the shuttle exploded a few minutes later, they died doing their duty to protect you, or so they thought."

"You told them…" Lisa's hands started to tremble ever so slightly. A storm of fury was building up inside of her as Graham so coldheartedly described how she arranged the deaths of two REF pilots…two of her people.

"Anyway, Admiral, everyone believes you were aboard the shuttle when it blew up in space", she smiled and added, "except for me, of course."

"_And Angie"_, thought Lisa as she tried to rein in her anger.

"You'll never know how long I've dreamed of seeing you in a position like this, Admiral. Dreamed, hoped and planned. And you'll never know the joy I feel in seeing you like this, chained to the wall of the cave where your husband was going to make love to me." She raised an eyebrow and asked, "It's fitting, don't you think?"

Lisa was livid. "I think that you've gone over the edge, Commander, and unfortunately, you're taking a good person down with you." Lisa dropped the folder on the ground between them, daring Graham to come closer and pick it up.

Graham ignored the folder and never hesitated in confirming what Lisa was saying. She had to know it was Angie who had knocked her out, there was no other option. "I never forced anyone into anything, Admiral. Angie did what she did of her own free will."

Lisa just shook her head. Before she even thought of asking the question that she already knew the answer to, it slipped out in an exasperated voice. "Why?"

The answer: Rick, of course.

Graham rolled her eyes and said, "Please, Admiral, I'm sure you've got it figured out by now." Lisa just stood there waiting, carefully concealing her anger and shock. She knew Graham would be dying to gloat about what she had managed to accomplish and what she had planned to do next.

"Very well, Admiral…if you must have it spelled out for you. I've been planning this for months, since I kissed Rick in the Situation Room."

Lisa saw a small smile form on Graham's lips as she continued in a quiet voice. "I had a crush on him for a long time, Admiral. He was a larger than life hero, handsome and caring. When I became his official photographer, that crush became more. The more I saw of him, the more I heard his voice, the more I got to know him, the deeper my feelings became." She looked at Lisa with a knowing look and said, "I'm sure you know what that's like, Admiral."

Honesty came to Graham's eyes. "Believe it or not, Admiral, I had decided not to pursue him, even though I knew I loved him." She looked to the floor of the cave and said in a strained voice, "I knew that he was happy with you, or at least he seemed to be." She looked up at Lisa and continued. "But those weeks before that night in the Sit. Room, I could see that that was changing. I knew he was lonely that night, and many nights before that. He looked so alone, so I kissed him to show him how I felt…to show him he wasn't alone…that somebody still cared and that somebody still loved him."

Lisa laughed loudly. "Love!" Lisa laughed again and said pitifully, "You have no idea what love is, Commander. You're obsessed."

"No Admiral, it's love." Sue brought her fingers up to touch her lips. "His lips felt so right on mine that night." Her eyes narrowed as she regarded Lisa standing a few feet from her. "But he didn't think so. Despite how badly you've treated him, he was still loyal to you."

"_How badly I've treated him?"_, thought Lisa. _"She is crazy."_

As if Graham could sense Lisa's thoughts, she said, "Yes, Admiral, you've treated him badly, and I hate you for it. You put your ship and almost everyone else before him, and because of it he felt as though he were alone. On a ship full of people, Admiral, he felt alone."

Despite her anger, Lisa heard some truth in what Graham had said, though she dared not show Sue any indication of it. More than once since the Sit. Room incident, she found herself wondering what she could have done differently before that night so that it wouldn't have happened. She could have paid more attention to Rick, spent more time with him and showed him, and everyone for that matter, how much she loved him. Those thoughts were thrust aside as Graham continued on.

"You were right that night you came to see me after I went to him about my reassignment to Jupiter. I did arrange for Powell to find out about the _Coperincus'_ mission, and when he asked for his transfer, I made a pitch for the EoD's." She looked thoughtful. "We were actually understaffed, and that worked in my favor."

Graham took a deep breath and said, "After you left that night, I was tempted for a very, very short time to give it up. But I couldn't. He…I don't know…he stirs something in me that I have never felt before." Graham had one last button to push. She took a step towards Lisa and said tauntingly, "And when he gets over you, Admiral, I will be there for him." A smile crept across Graham's face as she took another little step towards Lisa and added, "I will hold him when he needs comfort…I will kiss him when he needs tenderness…and we will make love with a passion that will shake the ship. And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it…Admiral Hayes."

Lisa's soul was on fire with an anger she had never experienced before in her life. It burned her, scorching all the defenses and all the barriers she had set up to keep the anger from escaping, and it moved through her body like a wildfire until it finally reached her right leg. It twitched with overwhelming anger, and her leg lifted a couple of centimeters from the ground and slammed down onto the floor, knocking the shackle she had unlocked off her leg, freeing it to shoot outward and upward in a classic karate kick to connect with face of her antagonist with a resounding and satisfying crunch. Lisa had no control over it…if she had, she wouldn't have done it.

Graham had seen it coming, but Lisa had moved so fast that she didn't have time to react and defend herself, and as Lisa's foot connected with her mouth, she chided herself for not anticipating Lisa's ingenuity. Graham's head snapped back, and she fell backwards and landed very hard on her back, with her head slamming into the rock floor with a force that made her see a multitude of tiny little stars floating around her head. She stayed there for a moment, trying to fight off the wave of blackness that was trying to overrun her mind. She rolled over onto her left side and moaned. She gingerly shook her head and blinked her eyes to try to clear them, and after a few moments the little light show of twinkling stars began to fade. It was then that she noticed a coppery taste in her mouth. She brought her hands up to touch her lip, and when she pulled her hand away and saw her blood on her fingertips she realized her lip was split…badly.

Sue looked at Lisa, standing there looking at her with a sense of subdued accomplishment. She had put her hands behind her back again and just stood there as though she was in total control of the situation. _"Damn her!"_, she thought angrily._ "Why hasn't she gone mad with fear and grief? Why?" _It was that thought that drove Sue to get up onto all fours and spit out the blood that had accumulated in her mouth. She brought her left leg forward and planted her foot on the floor, resting her left elbow upon her knee, with her hand against her cut lip. Lisa's actions and fortitude in the face of all of Graham's taunting only fed her hatred for Lisa, and she felt even more determined to make her see that Rick was going to forget her, and be with Sue.

"Well played, Admiral. I thought those restraints were tamper proof." She stood up and rested against the side of the cave, bent over just enough to let the blood drip onto the cave floor instead of onto her flight suit. "I admire your persistence, Admiral. It looks like we have a couple of things in common."

Lisa looked at Graham with blatant disgust and shock. After a moment of thought about the absurdity of her and Graham being similar in any way, she said through clenched teeth, "We are nothing alike, Commander."

Graham looked at Lisa and said, "You're wrong. We are different in many ways, Admiral, true, but we're both very persistent; and besides that we do have at least one more very important similarity. We both love the same man. More than that, we both fell in love with Rick when he was in love with someone else." Lisa struggled to control her temper as Graham continued. "You fell in love with him while he was in love with Minmei. I fell in love with him while he was in love with…well, with you."

Graham walked a step closer to Lisa, ignoring the headache and blood dripping from her lip, but remained well clear of her striking distance. "But that is the end of it, isn't it? You were content to let Minmei have Rick all to herself, content to be alone and pine away for him wherever it was that you were going to run to after you resigned, content not to fight for what you wanted, content to let her have him. I, on the other hand, am not content to be without him. I will fight for him, Admiral, and I will have him no matter what I have to do."

Lisa slumped her shoulders slightly as the memories of Rick and Minmei in New Macross stung her heart. For a moment, she even wondered how Graham knew so much about those days. _"Then again, everyone knew more about us than we knew ourselves"_, it occurred to her. _"Besides, she spent a lot of time with Rick in the last couple of years…I'm sure she asked questions."_ She shook her head and said quietly, "You're so wrong, Sue. I wasn't content, not one little bit." Those terrible days of being without Rick threatened to overwhelm her, but she held them at bay. "But I was willing to let Rick decide what it was that would make him happy, what it was that he wanted. If that was Minmei, I would have accepted that, because it would have meant that he would be truly happy, and that is what love…true love, Commander, is all about." Lisa looked Graham in the eye and asked, "Do you truly think Rick is happy right now?"

Graham swallowed, the taste of her own blood scorching her throat, and conceded, "No, he isn't…but he will be."

Lisa lowered her gaze to the floor of the cave. "He will never be truly happy again, Commander."

"I think you overestimate your importance in his life, Admiral Hayes. He will love again…in time, just as he loved you after Minmei. He will love me when he sees how much I care for him."

"You miss my point, Commander. Rick has never been one to worry about himself. He always put others ahead of himself. As such, he will worry most about his son, the little boy whose mother you have taken from him. Roy will be hurt terribly, and that in turn will haunt Rick forever." Lisa let the words sink in. "You've hurt him, Sue." Lisa looked Graham squarely in the eyes. "You've hurt him badly, and God help you when he finds out. And make no mistake, Commander, he will find out."

"I haven't come this far to be stopped, Admiral." She wiped the blood from her lip. _"Is it ever going to stop bleeding?"_, she asked herself. She looked at Lisa and couldn't believe the calmness she exhibited. "I have considered every conceivable variable and have numerous contingency plans ready. You have absolutely no idea, Admiral, how much thought, time and planning I've put into this." She shook her head as though she just realized herself. "No idea. Time is the key, Admiral. More to the point…timing is the key."

"_What does she mean by that?"_, wondered Lisa. "Sue", she tried, "if you end this now, I'll do what I can to help you."

The bitterness in Graham's laugh was palpable. "Help me! Please, Admiral." She held out her arms akimbo and asked, "Do I look like I need help?" She reached down, picked up her bag and fished out her flashlight, and then dumped its remaining contents onto the cave floor. "This should keep you going for a couple of weeks, ma'am." She regarded the ration and water packs for a moment and then said, "It's not the type of thing you're used to, but I'm sure you'll make do."

"Why, Sue? Why keep me here? Why not just…"

"Why not just kill you, Admiral?" Despite the pain, Graham's lips stretched into the most malignant grin, her blood only adding to the grotesqueness of it. It was the type of thing that should only be seen on the face of a demon that was getting ready to do some felonious work of its master. She shrugged her shoulders and said in a jovial tone, "What would be the fun in that?" Her look in her eyes turned serious, and when she spoke there was no longer any humor in her voice. "I want you to suffer, Admiral. For what you've done to him, and for what you've done to me, I want you to suffer." She replaced the flashlight into the bag and put the strap over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a few days, Admiral."

She turned around and began to walk towards the cave entrance, pausing just long enough to say over her shoulder, "Try not to miss me too much, Admiral Hayes." She let loose a banshee laugh as she continued on out of the cave.

Lisa watched her leave. She knew she had a chance and she missed it when her kick knocked Graham out her reach. Lisa realized with some shame that she let her emotions get the better of her, if only for a moment. It didn't even help that she derived some sense of satisfaction in seeing Graham bleeding on the floor. She wouldn't…she couldn't…let that happen the next time, and there would be a next time. Lisa knew Graham wouldn't be able to resist the urge to torment her.

Moments later, Lisa heard an Alpha power up and take off. She looked around her cage and took stock of the situation. She still had lights, a heater and now plenty of food and water. Her eyes fell upon the folder Graham had left behind. She picked it up, sat down on the thermal blanket and read the announcement again. When she was done she threw the folder to the ground and finally got ready to let loose the tears that had been threatening to overtake her since she first read the report. Only for Graham watching her so closely, looking for any hint of emotional distress from her, she would have let the tears fall then. Her shuttle pilots and two Alpha pilots…killed, and why? So a psychopath could get her out of the way and make a play at her husband. But that wasn't all. Not only get her out of the way, but keep her around to gloat and rub it in.

Then it occurred to her that Rick could be in danger from Graham. Despite her professions of love for him, she was obviously unstable. There was no telling what she would do to him when he spurned whatever advances she made…and there was no doubt in Lisa's mind that he would rebuff her advances. More than that, if she managed to get close to Rick, she would also get close to her son. Her heart felt as though it were in a vice and someone with limitless strength kept turning the handle, squeezing the life right out of her chest. Lisa Hunter, the strong Admiral and the defiant soldier, became Lisa Hunter, loving mother and worried wife as the vice turned, giving her no other choice than to finally let it all go and cry.

----------------------------------

Graham brought her Alpha out of the moon's atmosphere and after achieving a safe distance away from the moon, she brought the Alpha to complete stop. Her head was pounding with a regular thump and her lip hurt like no other pain she had felt before. It was still bleeding, although the flow had slowed, so she reached for the small emergency medical kit on the side of the seat. When she found it she took out some gauze and placed it on her lip, using her upper lip to hold it there as she replaced the kit.

Graham found her squadron's position on her radar, adjusted her course for rendezvous and moved the throttle forward gently. She toggled open the com channel and called Roberts. "Pegasus 5 to lead. Please come in."

'Go ahead, Commander', came Roberts' cheerful sounding reply.

She shook her head and said, "I'm back in the saddle, Lieutenant." She checked her navigational computer and added, "I'll be at your position in eight minutes."

'Roger that, Commander. We'll see you then. Lead out.'

She leaned her head back against the seat and kept her eyes open, despite their insistence on the opposite. Eight minutes later, she brought her Alpha into a standard formation along with her squad mates.

Fifteen minutes later, Roberts' voice came over the tac net. 'Okay everyone…time to head home and let someone else have some fun. I have the lead.'

She watched as Roberts changed course to head for the ship, and the rest of the squadron, herself included, followed suit.

Twenty minutes later, she was slowly climbing out of her Alpha. When her left foot hit the deck she felt a wave of dizziness come upon her, and to keep herself from falling, she tightened her grip on the ladder. She brought her right hand to gently rub the back of her head, and noticed with some consternation that there was a sizable lump there. The dizzy spell faded, and as she released the ladder, she heard, "Are you okay there, Commander?"

She removed the gauze from her lip, took a breath, turned and responded, "Yes, Lieutenant…I'm fine." When she looked at Roberts' face she saw something that shocked and amazed her: concern.

"What the hell happened to your lip, Sue?" He stepped closer to get a better look, and she instinctively brought up her hand to hide it. "It's nothing, Lieutenant. I…slipped getting out of my Alpha on the Med Moon…and my head shot forward into the fuselage." She feigned a sheepish smile. "This is the result." She could see that he had doubts about that story, but as he moved his hand up to remove hers, he seemed to accept it. After all, what else could have happened? When he got a good look at it he grimaced, and she was touched, genuinely touched by his concern.

Several seconds went by before she realized he was still holding her hand, and she gently slipped her hand out of his and said, "I'm fine, Lieutenant…Jonathon. Thank you." She brought the gauze back up to her lip. "I should go and take care of this. See you later."

As she walked past him he said, "You're welcome, Commander. I hope…you're feeling better."

She kept walking but said, "Thank you."

Graham walked as quickly as she could to her quarters, and once inside with the door closed, she fell onto the couch and moaned. _"I better get some ice on this and try to get some of the swelling down"_, she realized. She got up off the couch, her head screaming in protest, and moved to her refrigerator. _"I knew this would come in handy"_, she thought bitterly. After Lisa had decked her in her quarters before the MED, she went and got a reusable ice pack...though she had hoped she would never have to use it.

She returned to her couch, laid down again, and had just put the ice pack on her sore lip when a knock came on her door. _"Go away"_, she screamed to herself. It didn't work, as a second later there was another knock. Holding the ice pack to her lip with her left hand, she got up and walked slowly to the door, took the handle in her free hand and opened the door. To her immense relief, the person standing on the other side was a friend.

Angela Marques looked at Graham with a mixture of concern and astonishment. "Sue…what happened?"

Graham turned around, walked back to her couch and assumed her previous position: on her back holding the ice pack to her lip with her eyes shut tight. Marques walked in, shut the door and slowly walked to the chair opposite the couch. She sat down, and after waiting several moments she asked again, this time in a stern tone meaning she wanted to know. "What happened?"

Graham never moved, and when she spoke her voice was muffled by the pack. "She got one of the shackles off and gave me a side kick to the face." There was a muffled laugh and then, "I have to admit, she's pretty fit for an older woman." Graham went on to describe in detail her encounter with Lisa in the cave, her calculated taunting and Lisa's reaction, namely her boot to Graham's face. "I thought she would break emotionally, but she didn't. She didn't shed a tear, and even when I first got there, she just stood there looking so…I don't know…commanding. It was irritating as hell."

Graham opened her left eye enough to survey her friend, who had remained silent throughout her monologue, and noticed with some concern the waxen look upon her face. She closed the eye again and thought, _"This is not good."_ Moaning to herself, she sat up to face Marques. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with Angie and the serious doubts she was now obviously having, but she didn't have a choice. "You're not looking too hot, Angie. What's up?"

Angie looked to the floor, wondering how to tell one of her closest, dearest friends that she thought that they had made a terrible, terrible mistake. "Admiral Hunter called me to his quarters today." That got the reaction that Angie thought it would get. Sue perked right up and her attention level increased tenfold. "He wanted to talk to me. He's devastated, Sue. He's not even the same man anymore. He'll never get over this, and it's our fault." Angie stood up and began to pace the floor in front of Graham. "They are a part of each other, Sue, and without her he's not whole." She stooped directly in front of Sue Graham, stared her straight in the face and said, "He will never love you, Sue. Even in death, she will always have all of his heart."

_"Damn",_ thought Graham. She was hoping she wouldn't have to deal with this amount of doubt from Angie for at least another week or two. Despite her best assurances and her participation in her little conspiracy, Graham always knew that Angie would be the weak link, and that eventually she would bend, possibly even break. Of the three of them, Graham, Grace and Marques, Angie always had the stronger moral code. She had just hoped that if it were going to happen, it wouldn't be yet.

She removed the ice pack, placed it on the couch next to her and said, "It will take time, Angie. We all knew that. We knew he was going to be hurt, for a while."

"That's just it, Sue. I don't think he'll get over this." Angie looked up to observe Graham.

"But that's where I come in." She licked her lip and was irritated to find that it still hadn't stopped bleeding. "When the time is right, I will help him, Angie. I'll be there for him and I will give him all the love he needs."

"_She isn't budging"_, Angela thought. _"There is absolutely nothing I can say to change her mind. She's in it until the end, full steam ahead." _Realizing she didn't have a chance of talking Graham out of continuing with the plan, Angie gave up. "All right, Sue. I just hope you can help him." She stood up, looked at Sue, pointed to the ice pack and said, "Put that back on your lip. It's still really swollen." She turned and headed for the door opened it, and as she stepped through it, she couldn't help but get the feeling that Sue Graham was staring daggers into her back.

She closed the door and began walking to her quarters, wondering all the way how she had ever agreed to be a part of the madness.

As Angie wondered about her involvement in Sue's plan, Sue leaned her head against the back of the couch, placed the ice pack on her lip, closed her eyes and thought about the part of her plan that she had kept to herself. It wasn't really part of the plan; it was more like one of her contingencies. Through her mind went time: days, weeks, months, cycles and a certain helpful little substance that very soon could be her new best friend.

Keeping the ice pack on her lip, she got up and went to her bedroom dresser, opened the bottom drawer and took out a metal box. She entered the appropriate code on the locking mechanism and opened the box. She checked the ammo level in her personal sidearm and left it on the dresser, replacing the box in the drawer and closing it.

She picked up her sidearm and regarded it appreciatively. "I'm sorry, Angie, but no one is going to stop me now." She took a breath and let it out in a rush. "No one."

----------------------------------

After Marques had left Rick's quarters, he sat there for hours replaying in his mind his life with Lisa. Max and Miriya came and went, and he was incredibly grateful for their unwavering support and companionship. In the early evening, Vince Grant came by with an update on what was going on in the Sit. Room. It was a relatively short brief, as nothing of consequence was really happening, other than the investigation into the explosion of Lisa's shuttle. On that matter, Vince had nothing new to report.

After giving Rick the news he had come to give him, Vince stood up and prepared to leave. Max stood up as well to walk Vince to the door, and when they started to move Rick spoke up. "Guys, please sit down…there's something we have to discuss."

Max and Vince looked at each other, both wondering what was on their friend's mind. They sat down in the seats they had just vacated and waited for Rick to speak. Instead, Rick reached for the communications panel, activated it and called the infirmary. "This is Admiral Hunter", he said calmly, "Could I speak to Dr. Grant please?" The person asked him to wait, and a couple of seconds later Jean's worried voice came through the speaker.

'Rick, is everything all right?'

Realizing that Jean was spooked a little, Rick said reassuringly, "I'm fine, Jean. I'm here with Max and Vince. Could you join us please? We have something to talk about."

He waited for her response, and when it came he could hear her curiosity. 'Of course, Rick. I'll be right up.'

"Thanks, Jean. Hunter out." He looked to his friends and said, "Jean will be here soon, and Miriya should be back any second." He got up and headed to the bathroom, and as he was closing the bathroom door behind him, he said to Vince and Max, "Then we can discuss the plans for Lisa's memorial service."

He shut the door before he heard the expected protests, and moved to the sink. He turned the cold-water faucet and let it run, and as it ran he looked at his reflection in the mirror. _"Damn, I look like I've gone ten rounds with Breetai."_ Despite the fact that had slept the previous night, it didn't seem to be doing him any good. _"Or maybe it was just Angie's visit, and thinking of Lisa sitting in that damn shuttle as it explod…"_ He cut off the thought, cupped his hands together and reached down to the sink, letting them fill with the cold water, and when he had enough in his hands brought them up to splash the water on his face. He repeated this several times, until his hands began to tingle with the chill. He turned off the water and looked at himself again. _"That didn't help one little bit"_, he thought sourly. He studied his image more closely and saw many little lines around his eyes that weren't there a couple of days earlier, and if he didn't know better, he was sure that there was a few specks of gray hair around his temples that never used to be there.

Not for the first time in the last few weeks, Rick Hunter thought to himself, _"You're getting old, Rick."_ He was tired, very tired. The emotional pounding he had been taking for the last twenty-four hours was taking its toll on him, and while he realized that, while he understood that it was happening, he just couldn't bring himself to care.

He sighed loudly and wiped off his face with a towel, and after placing the towel in the hamper, he opened the door and walked out into the living room, only to find Miriya Sterling sitting in the recliner all by herself. He looked around, and unable to find the Grants or Max, he asked confused, "How long was I in there?"

Miriya smiled and stood up, adopted her best "at attention" stance and reported, "Admiral… Captain Sterling, as the senior officer present at the time, decided it was getting late in the day and ordered Commander and Dr. Grant to leave. I volunteered to remain with you, sir, so he also departed. Sir."

"Miriya", began Rick, but seeing her still standing at attention, he waved his hand and said, "as you were, or something." She relaxed, but stood in the same place. "Miriya, I wanted to talk to you guys about Lisa's memorial service. Max knew that."

Her expression softened, and she looked at him with green eyes filled with sorrow. "We didn't think it was a good time, Rick."

"I can handle it, Miriya, it's got to…"

"Perhaps you can handle it, Rick", she interrupted. She rubbed the tears from her eyes before they had a chance to fall, and she looked at Rick, deep into his eyes and said, "But we're not sure we can." She hesitated for a second, lowered her eyes to the floor and added softly, almost in a whisper, "I'm not sure I can."

Rick was floored. He looked at Captain Miriya Parino-Sterling, former Zentraedi Quadrano leader, ace Veritech/Alpha pilot, and wondered why he never realized how thoughtful and sensitive she was. "I'm sorry, Miriya…I never thought..." He took a deep breath, walked up to her and put his arms around her shoulders. As she slipped her arms around his waist and settled her head into his shoulder, he repeated, "I'm sorry."

"Maybe tomorrow, or the next day…but not today", she suggested in a whisper. Miriya leaned back and looked at Rick. "There is no rush to say good-bye to her."

He nodded solemnly, and when he didn't say anything Miriya asked, "Can we talk about her some more, Rick?" She stopped and added, "If you feel up to it."

Rick smiled. "There is nothing that I would rather do right now, Miriya." He released her and headed towards the kitchen. "I'll get the tea if you get the blankets", he said as he went, and when he disappeared into the kitchen, she smiled and headed to the closet to do her part.

----------------------------------

Lisa tried for hours to remove the shackle on her left leg, but her heart just wasn't in it. It was with Rick aboard the SDF-3. Unknown to Graham, her visit had left Lisa deeply shaken. As she worked she rotated between feelings of despair, anger and hopelessness. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't find anything positive in her situation as it stood, other than the fact that she was alive, but even that was barely positive with the expectation that Graham would keep taunting her with news of Rick. The fleet, including Rick and her friends, thought she was dead and wouldn't be looking for her. She knew the patrol routes flew by the moon, but they never landed…there was no reason to.

More than all of that, some of what Graham had said hit home for Lisa. Had she ignored Rick in favor of her ship? Had she spent more time concentrating on the mission instead of her marriage? Was Rick really feeling alone? The questions haunted her as she tried to rest, and she didn't want to think about it too much in fear of the answer.

Lisa closed her eyes and thought of her husband, and as her memory made him appear before her, she told him, "Watch out for Sue, Rick…be careful…and be strong." A lone tear drifted down her cheek. "You will have to be strong, my love." She took a shaky breath and said lovingly into the emptiness of the cave, "Remember, I will always love you."


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks Adena for being so on the ball and looking this over.

Thanks for the reviews everyone.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick was dreaming:

Lisa was facing him as she got ready to say her vows to him. They had written their own vows and as Lisa started to speak, her voice sounded to him like they came straight from the heavens. He didn't understand why he did, but he knew what she was going to say, so instead of really paying attention to her words, he concentrated on the sweet sound of her voice. It filled him with feelings like hope, peace and limitless love… feelings he didn't know he had left after so many years of death and destruction. He watched her lips move as she spoke. She had decided against lipstick, and in his humble opinion, it was the perfect choice. Her lips were naturally wonderful, and he had always felt that lipstick lessened their beauty instead of added to it. He moved his gaze up to her emerald eyes. She had decided on just the smallest touch of eye shadow, just enough to highlight her normally bright eyes, and they shined now. They always did, but now they were beaming, and the moistness of tears of happiness gave them an extra brilliance. He smiled, and her voice woke him out of his reverie.

"Rick, it's important that you listen to what I'm about to say", she said quietly.

He froze the smile on his face. He still didn't know how he knew, but he did know that what she just said wasn't right. It was out of place.

He blinked and he was standing alongside Lisa as she addressed the assembled forces of the REF on the day before the Expeditionary mission left for Tirol. She was reading the speech that she had prepared for the occasion, and again, for some reason he knew her speech word for word. He watched his wife, Admiral Lisa Hunter, soldier and leader, speak with unbridled passion about the need for their mission and the pride she felt in each and every one of them. He waited for her to continue with her address, but instead of what he remembered had happened she turned to him and said quietly, "Look at them, Rick. They look to you for guidance. They need you to be strong." He raised his hands up and rubbed his eyes…

…And when he took them down again he suddenly found himself in some sort of medical room. He looked around and recognized the room as the one aboard the SDF-3 in which Lisa gave birth to their son. He felt the surgical mask on his face and looked down to find himself dressed in a surgical gown.

"Rick!" Terror gripped his soul as he turned sharply to where to where his wife's voice came from. He had never heard her voice holding so much pain. He went to her, took her hand, and gave her all the strength and encouragement he could. A few minutes later, Jean placed their newborn son on Lisa's chest. As the tears flowed down her cheeks, she looked up at Rick and said, "You have to be strong, Rick." Her face became serene as she looked down at their son. "You have to be strong for me and for your son. I know you can do it, Rick, you can do it for us…"

Her last five words echoed as a bright light overtook him, and when the light faded, she was holding his arm at the celebration banquet that they held after the defeat of the Invid Regent. They stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching their friends dance away the evening. Max was dancing with Miriya, and she squealed in surprise as he dipped her suddenly. Jean and Vince laughed as they saw the Sterlings, and Lisa leaned over close to Rick and whispered in his ear, "They will need you to be strong." He was puzzled by what she said, and as he turned to ask her what she meant the music died away, the people disappeared and everything else faded out of existence. All that remained was Lisa and him. She turned to face him, and she said lovingly, "You will have to be strong, my love…for me, for Roy, for your friends and for those under your command. People need you, they will need you to be their strength, just as you have been mine for so long." She came closer to him and put her arms around his neck and said, "Watch out for Sue, Rick…be careful…and be strong." He looked at his wife and wondered why now, of all the times, she would bring up the name of the woman they both distrusted so much. He was about to ask her just that when she said lovingly, "You will have to be strong, my love. Remember, I will always love you." Before he could reply she kissed him. The kiss was sweet, and when she pulled away from him, it was as though she was taking the air out of his chest. He smiled and looked into her eyes…and nearly jumped out of his skin, for looking back at him weren't the warm emerald eyes of his wife, but the cold hazel eyes of Sue Graham. He started to back away from her, but he could only do so slowly as his feet suddenly felt like lead, and as he got a couple of steps away he heard Lisa's voice repeat in the distance, "Watch out for Sue, Rick…be careful…"

Rick opened his eyes and sat up in a panic. He looked around in the low light and realized that he was on the couch. _"It was a dream"_, he thought with a combination of sadness and relief. Where did Graham come from? He remembered Lisa in his dream, and even as the sadness began to fall over him, he remembered her words: _You will have to be strong my love._ And he forced the sadness away and stood up. His eyes fell upon the recliner, and as he realized what he saw, he smiled.

----------------------------------

Max carried in his hands a tray from the Mess on which was three cups of coffee and an assortment of breakfast goodies, goodies like croissants, toast, eggs, bacon, and more. The chefs in the Mess were more than accommodating when Max asked them to get some things together for Rick. Everyone felt a deep sense of loss with Lisa's death, from the most junior engineer up to the command crew, and out of respect for Lisa and respect for Rick's grief, everyone stepped up to do what they could for him.

He had had a restless night. When he slept, if he could call it that, he would dream of Lisa and the dreams would always end in a way that would wake him up. When he woke up, he would remember Lisa, and would have problems getting back to sleep. It was a vicious little circle for a while.

Finally, he stood in front of Rick's door and the tray slipped a little. Max cursed loudly and contemplated whether to knock or just go in before the tray ended up on the deck. The decision became moot however when the door was opened for him. On the other side stood Rick, who brought his index finger up to his lips to tell Max to be quiet. Max nodded and when Rick stepped aside, he walked in and went straight to the kitchen. He placed the tray on the counter as Rick walked in.

He studied Rick's features and was pleasantly surprised to see that it looked as though he was doing better and that he had at least gotten some sleep. He asked quietly, "Where's Miriya, Boss?"

Rick moved to the kitchen doorway, motioned for Max to join him and looked out into the living room. Max joined him and looked out as well and he smiled. There was his wife, lying down in the recliner, which was reclined back as far as it could go, with a blanket pulled up over her head so far that the only parts of her that were visible were her feet. She was so well hidden that he never even noticed her when he walked in.

Rick whispered, "I was on the couch, again, and when I woke up I looked over and all I could see were her feet. That was twenty minutes ago." Max started to go into the living room but Rick grabbed him by the shoulder and said quietly, "Let her sleep, Max." Rick smiled and added, "She's earned it."

Max nodded and followed Rick back into the kitchen. Rick eyed the tray and asked, "Is one of these cups for me, Captain?"

Max smiled and replied, "Of course, Boss." He watched as Rick picked up the cup and took a sip. Rick smiled and said, "I needed this. Thanks, Max."

Max placed his right hand on Rick's shoulder and said, "No problem, Rick." He removed his hand and picked up one of the remaining cups of coffee and one of the croissants. He took a bite of the pastry and looked at Rick, who was looking at him with an amused expression on his face.

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat one of those", said Rick lightheartedly. Max, with his mouth full mumbled, "When you're…as hungry as I am…you would eat anything."

Rick smiled and took another sip of his coffee. He looked at the floor and said, "Thank you, Max." He looked up and saw Max's confused expression and he added, "Thank you for being there for me and Roy. I don't know what I would have done without you, old buddy, and I'll never forget it."

Max swallowed his food and washed it down with a sip of coffee. "It was my absolute pleasure. You would have done the same for me, Rick. Besides, I owe you and Lisa more than I could ever possibly tell you."

Rick smiled and Max had to ask. "You seem to be doing a lot better, Boss. How are you feeling?"

Rick was silent for a moment, and Max was beginning to regret asking the question when Rick began to speak. "I am doing a little better." He leaned against the counter and continued. "After you left last night, Miriya and I talked about Lisa again for hours, and I had a dream, Max…a really weird one."

"That seems to be the norm rather than the exception these days, Rick", quipped Max, and to his joy Rick smiled.

"I dreamt about mine and Lisa's wedding, the day before the REF left Earth, the day Roy was born and the day of the victory banquet."

An interested look came upon Max's face. "Those were all important times in your life, Rick. It shouldn't come as a surprise that you would…"

"But that's the thing, Max. The dream was an exact replica of those events except for Lisa." Rick could see the confusion on Max's visage, and he explained, "The day Roy was born, for example. I remember when they put him in her arms for the first time; she looked at him, smiled, cried and looked at me. When she looked at me, she said 'Isn't he gorgeous?' I laughed, hauled down my mask, looked at her and said, 'He's a boy. He isn't gorgeous, he's handsome.' We both had a laugh and I kissed her, and told her how much I loved her. In my dream, when she looked at me, she said, 'You have to be strong for me and for your son. I know you can do it, Rick, you can do it for us.'" Rick took another sip of coffee and continued. "At every occasion, instead of saying what I remember she said, she told me to be strong, that people needed me. And then she warned me about Sue Graham."

That got Max's attention and he almost gagged on a piece of croissant. "Graham?", he asked, trying to ignore the sour taste in his mouth caused by speaking the woman's name.

Rick nodded. "I don't know, Max. Lisa was telling me to be careful…and to be strong." He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, he spoke quietly. "It didn't seem like a dream. It seemed so real, like she was there, like we were still connected. It felt exactly the same in that dream as it did the last time I talked to her in person the morning she…the morning that she died. She kept telling me to be strong…for her, for Roy, for you and for everyone in the fleet."

"I've been thinking about it since I woke up, and it occurs to me that I wasn't the only person affected by her…by her loss. I know that you, Miriya, Jean and Vince are hurting, along with Fraser and Forsythe. Everybody has been affected." He paused and tried to find the right words. "Lisa said to me once that one of the things she loved most about me was that I always wanted to help people. It seems to me that there is a ship full of people that need my help, and I at least have to try. For them, for myself and for Lisa." He looked at Max and said quietly, "Now don't get me wrong, my grasp on this newfound strength feels…tenuous…and I feel like the slightest little memory could send me crashing in a heartbeat… but I have to try to do it."

"Do not forget that you are not alone, Rick", came a voice from the kitchen doorway. Miriya stood there wiping the sleep out of her eyes, and as she rubbed the last of it away, she made her way to Max and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, Maximillian."

He held up the last cup of coffee, and as she took it from him she replied, "Good morning, beautiful." He put his arm around her and looked at Rick. He saw the sad smile on Rick's face and said, "We're here for you Rick."

Rick nodded his head and said, "I know, old buddy. I know." Rick placed his coffee cup on the counter and stood up to his full height. He fixed Miriya with his most serious look and said, "Captain Sterling, it is now 0724 hours, and I am ordering you to go home and rest for a couple of hours. Report to me when you feel up to it. Depending on when that is, I'll either be in the hangar deck, on the bridge, or here."

Max exclaimed, "Boss!" as Miriya said, "Rick!" He cut off any further comment by holding up his hand. "I have to show the flag, guys. Show everyone that I'm okay", he put on a half-smile, "even if I'm not, and that we have to go on." He pointed at Max and said in an annoyed tone, "And that includes planning for a memorial service." He softened his voice as he looked at Miriya and added, "Eventually."

"Rick, you're entitled to have some time, we all are." Max was very worried about this idea. "Come on, Rick, you don't have to do this."

Rick smiled and approached his friend. He stood in front of Max and placed his hands on his shoulders. Rick looked into Max's eyes with a burning intensity. "Yes I do, Max."

Max knew it was pointless to argue, and to a point, he really didn't want to. Rick had found some strength, and he wanted to make good use of it. He thought, _"It may even do him some good to get out around and see the support."_ Max nodded his head and said, "All right. Where do you want to start?"

Rick squeezed Max's shoulders, smiled and moved towards the doorway. As he walked into the living room he said, "The Situation Room. It's still early and there won't be too many people around at first. I want to talk to Vince, make sure everything is okay, and there are a couple of little things that I need to take care of before I do anything else. Then I want to go to the hangar deck, and then the bridge." He looked back at Max and smiled weakly. "If I get through that much, I'll be satisfied." He looked at Miriya and adopted a scowl. "Go home."

She walked up to him and gave him a crisp salute. Rick smiled and returned it, and when she brought her hand down he gave her a warm hug. "I will never be able to thank you enough, Miriya. Never."

Miriya tightened her hold on Rick and said, "Never mention it again. What are friends for if not for times like these?" She released him and gave Max a kiss on his lips. "I will see you both later." She kissed Max again and left.

When the door closed behind her Rick looked at Max and said, "That's one special lady you've got there, Max."

Max smiled and said, "Don't I know it." He looked at Rick and tried to gauge his feelings. "Ready, Boss?"

Rick took in and released a deep breath. He nodded and said confidently, "Let's go, Captain."

They walked through the corridors of the ship, _"Lisa's ship"_, he thought proudly, in relative silence. _"But it isn't her ship anymore, is it?"_ The people who met them murmured greetings and their sympathies to Rick, after they got over the shock of seeing him walking around.

Finally they arrived at the Sit. Room. The night watch was still on duty, but if Rick knew Vince Grant at all, he was in early getting brought up to speed. They opened the doors and walked in. Rick smiled and thought, _"Big shock there"_, for there was Vince talking to the senior night watch officer. The officer, Lieutenant Jen Earle, was the first to notice Rick and Max, and after she took a second to make sure of what she was seeing, she came to attention and announced, "Admiral on deck."

The other two techs and Vince turned and came to attention. "As you were", said Rick with a bit of a sigh. Vince, with a concerned expression on his face, approached Rick and Max. When he was close enough to speak softly, he asked, "Rick, are you sure about this?"

Rick smiled and said reassuringly, "I think so, Vince." He jerked his thumb towards Max, "Besides, I have a chaperone if things get out of hand or if I start to lose it." Max screwed up his nose at the comment and Vince grinned.

Rick walked slowly around the Sit. Room, nodded greetings to the night watch crew and ended up back where Max and Vince waited. He looked at the gentle giant and asked, "Anything I need to be aware of, Commander."

Vince shook his head. "No, sir. All is quiet."

"Has the package from Tirol arrived yet?"

Vince looked confused for a second, then said as he caught on, "Yes, sir. It's on the secondary hangar deck. It arrived overnight…I didn't want to bother you with it."

"Excellent." Rick turned to Max and said, "I have to go and get a couple of things in my office and then we'll head to the hangar. It should only take a minute."

As Rick walked to his office he heard Max say jovially, "Take your time, Boss."

Rick opened his office door, moved inside and closed the door behind him. He walked to his desk, carefully avoiding the pictures of Lisa on the desk, and looked for the blue folder that Lisa had sent down from the bridge the day before the shuttle explosion. After rummaging around his cluttered desk for a minute, he found the object of his search. He opened it and signed the six pieces of paper that were inside, put four of them back in the blue folder and put the other two in a separate green folder. Satisfied with that, he took both folders in his hand and left his office. When he arrived next to Max and Vince, who were chatting until he got there, Rick handed Vince the green folder and said, "Could you take care of this for me, Vince?"

Vince opened up the folder, looked inside, smiled and closed the folder. "It will be my pleasure, sir."

Rick patted Vince's massive shoulder. "Thanks, Vince. If anything happens…"

"I'll be sure to let Max know, sir."

Rick laughed, along with Vince and Max, and started to walk out of the Sit. Room. He opened the doors and turned towards the hangar deck. The trip there was pretty much the same as it had been from his quarters to the Sit. Room. People nodded, and spoke short greetings, not wanting to intrude during the obviously painful time. Rick hesitated outside the hanger bay and took a deep breath.

Seeing Rick waver ever so slightly, Max asked, "Are you okay, Boss?"

Rick nodded, more eagerly than he meant to and said, "Let's go."

Max opened the door and Rick walked in. Max joined him just as the security officer on duty was about to announce his presence, but he stopped when Rick put his finger to his lips in the universal 'be quiet' gesture. The guard nodded and stepped back to his post.

It didn't take long for his presence to garner attention, and once it started it went like a wave through the deck, with pilots running to their Alphas, and then standing by them as though they were about to undergo an inspection.

Rick walked around the hangar bay, nodding to each of the pilots as they stood by their Alphas, until he came to a raven haired pilot with hazel eyes that he had once thought were beautiful, but now regarded with caution, due in part to a warning from his deceased wife. "Commander Graham, congratulations on receiving your wings. I had no idea…" Rick stopped mid-sentence and took a small step towards her, reached over and turned her face to get a better look at her lip and asked, "What happened to your lip?"

"I slipped getting into my Alpha, sir, and hit the fuselage", she said as sheepishly as she could fake. She could feel the hot rush of pink flood her cheeks when Rick touched her face. An all too brief moment later he removed his hand from her face, much to her dismay. She was really comfortable with it there, touching her face.

He saw her blush badly as he brought his hand down to his side, and he assumed that she was embarrassed by such a novice mistake. "I can't remember you ever mentioning that you wanted to become a pilot."

As she was about to answer, Graham glanced at Sterling only to see him narrow his eyes at her. "I just needed a new challenge, and it seemed like the way to go." She looked into his eyes, noting that they weren't their usual bright blue and said softly, "I'm sorry for the pain you're going through right now, Rick…sir."

"Thank you, Commander, I…" Rick totally lost his train of thought something sparkled on the fuselage of Graham's Alpha. He looked beyond her right shoulder at the unusual marking on the fuselage that seemed to be the cause of the sparkle, then took a quick glance around at the Alphas he had just passed, and for the first time noticed that they all had the marking. _"Why didn't I see it on the other Alphas?"_, he thought. He brushed past Graham and stepped closer to the Alpha and studied the decal. _"A star, a heart and an 'H'? What is this about?"_ He placed his hand on it and asked aloud, "What is the meaning of this decal?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly against her will. Her heart had skipped a beat in anticipation when he moved towards her, but he was only trying to get a better look at the decal. She dug down deep and forced some reverence into her voice. "It was put there to honor Admiral Hunter, sir. The star represents her rank, the heart represents how much she was respected, and the H is for Hay…Hunter…sir." She held her breath hoping he hadn't noticed her gaffe. She watched him as he studied the decal, apparently oblivious to everything else...even her.

He didn't notice, and as the meaning of the decal sunk in, he smiled.

Graham's little blunder wasn't unnoticed by Max though, nor did he miss when Graham narrowed her eyes in what he figured could only be anger.

"Who is responsible for this?", asked Rick softly as he turned back to the decal.

"I am, sir", came an unsure voice from off to the right. Rick turned and saw the chief standing there with his arms to his side and a worried look upon his face. Rick took a moment to size up the chief. He was an old warhorse who knew the inside of an Alpha better than the design teams did, and he had been with the SDF-1 as a member of the Prometheus flight crew. It was the chief back then that had found the terrible mess inside Skull One after Roy was hit. It was Max who had wanted him to come aboard the SDF-3 as the Flight Crew head, but it was Lisa who insisted on asking him.

Rick smiled and looked back to the decal. "It's…perfect, chief. Absolutely perfect. She would appreciate it very much." He turned to look at the chief. "As do I, chief. Thank you…from both of us." Rick held out his hand and the chief stepped forward and took it.

As they shook the chief said with emotion filling his voice, "Thank you, sir…very much." The chief released Rick's hand and said, "If I may say so, sir, she was a wonderful person, and we're all going to miss her. If there's anything I can do for you, sir…"

"You've already done what I need, chief." He looked at the chief and continued sincerely, "You made sure she'll be remembered by the those who service these Alphas and the pilots who fly them. I can't put into words how much that means to me."

Max watched the chief and Rick as they talked, but kept one eye on Graham and noticed with interest how her eyes clouded over like the skies before a thunderstorm when Rick talked so lovingly about Lisa. _"She looks very unhappy"_, he thought.

Rick again placed his hand on the decal and Max could see that his friend was becoming overwhelmed with emotion. "Thank you chief", said Max as he stepped in between Rick and Graham, who Max had noticed never moved very far away from Rick.

"Sir…", began Graham, but Rick interrupted her as he said tiredly, "Dismissed, Commander."

She hesitated for a moment, saluted, turned around and started to march off towards the exit, but stopped when Max called out to her.

"Commander", said Max. He pointed to the clipboard on the deck next to her Alpha. He could see the clipboard contained an uncompleted pilot's maintenance checklist. "Were you in the middle of a maintenance check?"

"Yes, sir", she said tersely.

Max watched her pick up the clipboard and continue with the check, and then turned his attention to Rick. "Are you all right, Rick?

Rick nodded and said, "I am, Max. It's beautiful, isn't it? Almost as beautiful as she is." He took deep breath and corrected himself. "As she was."

"Time to head home, Boss", said Max. He didn't think it would work, but he wanted to give it a try.

Rick shook his head forcefully. "No, Max. I've got one more stop to make."

"Are you sure about this, Rick?"

"I'm sure, Max. Let's head to the bridge."

They walked to the elevator to take them to deck one, and as the doors closed Rick slumped over and put his hand against the wall. Max put his right hand on Rick's shoulder in support, not even bothering to ask if he was all right, or if he wanted to go home. Rick wasn't all right, that much was obvious, and knowing Rick like he did, Max knew he would keep going until he finished what he started. As the elevator slowed for it's approach to deck one, Rick straightened up, cleared his throat and nodded a thank you to Max, who removed his hand from Rick's shoulder just as the door started to open.

They walked down the corridor, and when they came to the secondary entrance to Lisa's office, Rick paused just for a second. A moment later, the door opened as Rick approached the bridge, and as he stepped onto the bridge someone said, "Admiral on deck!" Again, he sighed and said, "As you were."

He looked at the command seat, surprised for a split second not to see Lisa sitting there smiling at him. He shook himself out of that thought and looked to Forsythe, who was standing near his old station and looking more than a little surprised. There was no one else at the station, and Rick realized that Forsythe was manning it himself. "Status report, Captain."

Forsythe moved to stand in front of Rick and responded with military precision, giving Rick the details of ship's operability and crew status. When Forsythe was finished, Rick lowered his voice and asked, "Who is manning your old station, Captain?"

A clouded look came over Forsythe's eyes. "I am, sir." He glanced to the command seat and said, "I haven't been able to sit there. It doesn't seem right."

Rick put his right hand on Forsythe's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Captain, the SDF-3 is now your command", he said with authority, "no one else's. The people aboard this ship are your responsibility; the day to day operations of the ship are your responsibility; the bridge is yours, and that", he said as he pointed to the command seat with his free hand, "is your chair." Rick lowered his voice again and asked Forsythe, "What do you think she would say to you right now?"

Forsythe closed his eyes for a moment, picturing Lisa giving him a lecture about his command, and smiled. He looked at Rick and said, "Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, Captain." For the next few minutes Rick walked around the bridge with Max in tow, exchanging pleasantries with the command crew. When he was done, he walked back towards the command seat, where Forsythe was waiting. "Captain, could you take care of this for me?" He opened up the blue folder and handed him one of the pieces of paper inside. Forsythe read the paper and said happily, "No problem, sir."

"Thank you, Captain." He turned to leave but turned back to face Forsythe, "Oh, and please call Commander Grant and Captain Sterling and tell them to meet me on the secondary hangar deck in a few minutes." He turned to Max and whispered, "Let's go, Max."

They walked to the door, and as it opened, Rick stopped and turned around just in time to watch Forsythe lower himself slowly, gingerly into the command seat. Rick and Max looked at each other and both men smiled.

They got on the elevator again, and Rick reached over and punched the button to take them back to the hangar deck.

"Rick, we've already been to the hangar."

"I know, Max, but there's something I want to show you."

Moments later they were standing outside the door to the secondary hangar deck, waiting for Miriya and Vince to join them. They weren't waiting long when Miriya and Vince approached Rick and Max. Rick said, "Good…follow me."

Max, Miriya and Vince shot each other confused looks and followed Rick through the door. Vince knew what was in there, but he didn't really know why he was summoned there.

Inside, they approached a sealed off area of the bay, with a standard door as it's only visible means of access. When Rick reached it he entered his security code and went inside. His three friends followed, and once inside they looked with awe upon the prototype for the newest generation of REF Alphas: the Shadow fighter.

Max whistled, Vince beamed, and Miriya smiled. Like Vince, Miriya and Max had known the new prototype was being developed and constructed, they just weren't aware of the timing of the project.

Rick glanced around the deck at the engineers and security personnel. "Clear the deck, please." Those inside the secure area moved to obey as Max, Miriya and Vince examined the aircraft. When the deck was clear of all people except Rick and his friends, he summoned them over to stand by him.

"The arrival of the Shadow fighter is the beginning of a new program for the flying crews of the REF. The books will have to be rewritten and pilots will need new training to fly them. Lisa and I were going to initiate a series of programs to deal with those issues, and the first step in that program was to tap a couple of friends to head it." He hesitated, and dug down deep to find the strength to continue. "Lisa's loss has made that first step even more of a necessity."

He took out one of the pieces of paper from the folder, turned to Max and said, "Max, my old friend, we want you to oversee the further development of the Shadow Fighter, including the test flight program and working out the few bugs they've already found. You will be in command of the program, answerable only to me. Do you accept that?"

Max was stunned. "What…well…" Miriya gently punched his shoulder and he stammered, "Of course, Rick…" He looked at the fighter like a kid looking at a Christmas present, then turned to regard Rick, who had a big smile on his face. "Of course, sir."

Rick nodded his head and said, "Excellent. Thank you very much, Brigadier-General Sterling." Rick watched for Max to react to what he had just said, and while it took longer than he thought for Max to catch on, his reaction was well worth waiting for. Max's eyes opened wider than Rick had ever seen them, almost as round as his oversized glasses, and his mouth opened several times without saying a word. _"He looks like he's about to pass out"_, thought Rick. _"Maybe I should have got Jean to come down here too." _Rick handed Max the paper and said, "Congratulations, Max."

"Rick…", began Max uncertainly. Rick knew what was on Max's mind…the same thing that plagued his mind when he was first promoted. Rick however, had an ace up his sleeve, and he played it.

"That promotion was signed by Lisa, Max. It's what she wanted. And I'll make sure that there will always be an Alpha on standby for whenever you get the itch to go out. I promise."

Max thought for moment. Rick saw the emotion come to his face when he mentioned Lisa. Max looked at Rick and said softly, "For Lisa."

Seeing he would hear nothing further about it, Rick nodded and turned to face Miriya next. "Miriya, we want you to oversee and control the training program for the pilots who will fly the Shadow fighters. You will work closely with Max, which we assume won't be a problem, and also be answerable to me. What do you say, Miriya?"

Miriya regarded the fighter for a second, and when she turned to face Rick there was a smile upon her beautiful face. "I accept, Admiral."

Rick returned her smile, fished another piece of paper out of the folder and handed it to Miriya. "Thank you, Brigadier General Sterling. Congratulations."

She took the paper and held it in unsteady hands as she read it. Rick turned to Vince and said, "Vince, you've been invaluable in the Sit. Room, my right hand even. We want you to work closely with Max and Miriya as a liaison between them and the fleet captains. We also want you to continue to work in the Sit. Room, especially now. Do you think you can manage that, Vince?"

Vince didn't hesitate. "Absolutely, Rick."

Rick handed Vince the last piece of paper in the folder and said, "Thank you, Captain Grant." Rick took a moment to study the amazed and shocked looks on his friend's faces. _"They'll be fine, Lisa"_, he thought.

"You guys can linger if you want", said Rick tiredly, "but I'm heading home. We'll talk about the details later." Keeping his emotions in check for so long had worn him out more than he thought it would. Several times he had come close to emotionally crashing, but Lisa's encouragement rang in his ears, giving him the strength to go on. But he had reached his limit, and he knew it.

All three looked up at Rick, concerned at his exhausted tone of voice. They shook off their astonishment and Max said, "I'm with you, Boss."

"I will go and pick up something from the Mess for our lunch and meet you in your quarters", said Miriya, with a stern look at Rick, who saw and decided it wasn't worth arguing about. Vince took one last look at the fighter and said, "I'm meeting Jean for lunch, then back to the Sit. Room." He looked at Rick, gave him a salute and said, "Thank you, Admiral."

Rick returned the salute, and as he brought his arm down, he said, "You're more than welcome Vince, and you've earned it." He looked at all of them and added, "You all have."

With that, Admiral Rick Hunter turned around and headed home, with Max by his side all the way.

As they walked, Rick finished a thought that had budded in his mind during his first trip to the hangar deck that day. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Max, I've gotten into various aircraft hundreds and hundreds of times in my life, and I've never slipped on a ladder and into the fuselage before, not even as a kid." He gave an inquisitive look to his friend and asked, "Have you?"

"Nope….never", came Max's response.

They kept walking and Rick shook his head. "I mean, I've seen people try to get into a Veritech while they were more drunk than sober, Roy for example, and I've almost never seen anything like that happen…you almost always fall straight down or backwards off the ladder. The once or twice I did see something like it there were no injuries." He thought for a second, running through the many memories he had accumulated of Sue Graham while they worked together. "And Sue Graham is many things, but clumsy isn't one of them."

Max turned to look at Rick and saw that he doubted the story of Sue Graham in regards to her lip, just as he had doubted it. He turned and looked down the corridor and said, "Rick, did you notice anything else about her?"

Rick shook his head. "After I saw the decal, I kind of tuned out everything else, and talked to the chief. To be honest, after she told me what the decal represents, I forgot that she was there. Why?"

Max was silent for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should continue a conversation in which Sue Graham was the subject, but…"She seemed really uncomfortable when she talked about the decal, and even more so when you talked about Lisa." He cleared his throat and said, "And she almost said the 'H' was for Hayes, not Hunter."

Rick looked down the hall as he processed what Max had just told him, and as he walked he heard in his mind, _"Watch out for Sue…"_

----------------------------------

Sue Graham sat in her office in Fleet Intelligence. She had finished the reports she had to go over and was sitting in her chair remembering the look, scent and feel of Rick Hunter. She had almost fainted when he reached out for her on the hangar deck and so lovingly held her face, and when he passed by her to look at the Alpha he was so close that she needed all of her considerable will power to keep from throwing her arms around him.

She was interrupted when her computer terminal beeped, indicating an incoming message. She activated the monitor, and as she read the message, a frown appeared on her face. _"Generals! Give me a break!"_ She didn't have a problem with Grant's promotion, but Max and Miriya Sterling…a different story.

Max Sterling had watched her like a hawk as she talked to Rick on the hangar deck, and there was no way that he had missed her missteps. But it wouldn't matter.

Rick looked tired and worn out, but as she had told Angie, that was to be expected. But his eyes brightened when he touched her so gently…so lovingly, and his concern for her well-being was genuine. _"He was worried about me"_, she thought, "_ and he cares about me, I have no doubt about it. His eyes and his voice don't lie."_

Angie was wrong. There was no question that Rick Hunter would love again, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would be the one who he fell in love with.

Maybe she wouldn't need her contingency plan after all. If only she could make sure Angie didn't buckle…

----------------------------------

Lisa had again worked on the one remaining restraint for hours, but had been unable to even get it to budge. _"I guess one of them were tamper proof after all"_, she thought tiredly, remembering Graham's comment the shackles' reliability.

She would keep trying though, but right now she had to rest. Her body had been acting strangely all morning. She was woken up by the warmest feeling, a feeeling of love and security, but a while later that feeling turned into a frigid sense of danger. It was almost as though someone she cared for was in the presence of danger. The feeling didn't last long, thankfully, and she went back to feeling the warmth.

"_I've got to keep trying"_, she thought as she once again picked up her makeshift tool and began picking at the lock. _"I must keep trying so that I can get back to the ship…get back to Rick."_

"I'll come back to you, my love, and Sue Graham will pay for all she's done, and she will pay dearly."


	21. Chapter 21

Did you miss me? ;)

Bill- I have no idea why Graham is like your sister, but if she is you must have had an interesting childhood. ;)LOL And unless something seriously drastic happens, I will finish this story, continue others and I have ideas for still more.

K71- Thanks K. I always thought Rick would be that way, and like you said, it's what Lisa would want.

GPPR- Thank you, Gppr. I didn't originally intend Sue to be quite so evil, but you know what happens to a snowball once it starts rolling down a hill…

Sphersian- Thank you, S. **_IF_** I keep my original idea, there may be a more 'ew'…but I'm not sure yet. :)

Hawk82- Thanks. I know what those dreary university days are like…

Carla- Thanks Carla. The white lie may play a role…

Aiki- You made me blush. Thank you very much…hopefully it will get better.

Dax- Yeah, the turnover time is a funny thing. Could go weeks without an idea then inspiration strikes and bang, 2 or 3 chapters in a row. Weird.

As always, a very big thank you to my beta, Adena. Without your sage advice and numerous corrections, I wouldn't be having so much fun. Thank you.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Two days after Sue Graham's visit, Lisa still hadn't been able to remove the restraint on her left leg. It seemed as though it just didn't want to let go of her.

The days had been long and full of anger, worry and sadness. Each day she would feel white-hot anger at Sue Graham for doing this to her. More than that, she would feel angry for what Graham was doing to Rick and her son by making them go through the grief and pain they were going through. As she thought of that she began to worry about the plans that Sue had concocted for them both. It was painfully obvious that Sue would do anything to get her hands on Rick, even use Roy to do it, and that was more than she could stand. Mind numbing sadness would invade her soul at the thought of Roy being used in such a way, and Rick being manipulated to be with someone like Graham. It would be those thoughts that turned her feelings back into anger, and the sequence would start again.

What really smothered Lisa's spirit was the fact that those terrible feelings wouldn't end when she went to sleep. On the contrary, they intensified. Her subconscious drew images that made her heart want to stop, just to keep the visions from hurting so much. Every night, she would dream of her husband and son, and every night those wonderful dreams would turn into nightmares in which Sue Graham maneuvered her way into their lives. The previous night had been the worst. She had been having such a wonderful dream. It started out warm and loving, with a family outing in an amusement park, such as used to be found on Earth. They were having a grand time and Roy wanted to go into the hall of mirrors, so they did. Her heart glowed as the little boy walked up to the many trick mirrors and made funny faces, laughing at his distorted reflections.

Lisa let him go about his business, and Rick moved off to study one of his own peculiar looking reflections. She found herself looking into a mirror that made her look shorter and chubbier than she was when she heard Roy call out to her. She laughed at her image and moved to where his voice was coming from, but no matter which way she went, a mirror blocked her path. Finally she heard Roy's voice very close by, talking as if she were next to him listening to every word. She moved to his voice and was blocked by yet another mirror…or so she thought. It wasn't mirror, it was a panel window, and through it she could see Roy talking to Rick and someone else. The other person was knelt down and Roy was in between the person and Lisa, so she couldn't get a good look at the woman, though she could see that she had long black hair. Her stomach began to churn as Roy leaned in and gave the person a kiss, and when Sue Graham stood up and kissed Rick on the cheek, she screamed…

…and she woke up screaming. It took her only a moment to remember where she was and to realize that it was a nightmare, but the dreadful feelings lingered all the same.

It was the most vicious of cycles. She would wake up from the nightmare, struggle to regain some sort of composure and strength, only to have it ripped away when she closed her eyes for the night.

She sat on the thermal blanket and rubbed her eyes. There had been no sign of Graham for days. _"She said she'd be back in a few days"_, thought Lisa bitterly.

She leaned her head back against the wall. She hadn't even bothered to turn on the light. _"What's the point?"_, she thought dejectedly. _"There's nothing to see."_

She shook her head hard to remove those thoughts from her mind. She had to keep a constant vigil against the hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her. She had to have faith that she would get out of this…she had to have faith that Rick would save her, as he had so many times before…she had to have faith that the universe wasn't so cruel as to allow someone as evil as Sue Graham to triumph.

"Rick." She closed her eyes and pictured Rick asleep in their bed. Every night before drifting off to sleep, she would tell Rick that she loved him.

"I love you, Rick…"

----------------------------------

Just as Lisa's days had become uniform, a pattern also emerged in the life of Admiral Rick Hunter. He would be home in the company of either Max or Miriya, and they would talk for hours at a time about Lisa. He marveled at the discoveries he made about his wife just by listening to two of their closest friends. It really didn't surprise him to find out what a special friend she was to them. After all, she had been his friend, his very good friend, for a long time before they became a couple. What had surprised him was the fact that he had forgotten how wonderful a friend she could be, having thought of her for so long primarily as his wife. The stories Max and Miriya shared with him made him laugh, made him cry and made him wonder. Most importantly though, they made him remember, or more to the point, they kept him from beginning to forget about her.

He realized it was only a few days after her death, but he feared that he would begin to forget her almost immediately; in fact it was his biggest fear. He was afraid that he would forget her fragrance, the sound of her laughter, the way she looked at him and the myriad of little things that she did that made him love her so much. But thanks to his friends, that all stayed with him. Rick realized that with them around, and with his own firm resolve to never forget any detail about Lisa, his biggest fear would never happen.

When he would begin to fall asleep, he would go to bed, and whoever had stayed with him would bunk on the couch or the recliner. While Rick felt guilty about the discomfort that Max and Miriya were going through, he was incredibly grateful for their support. He hadn't heard either of them complain about it, not even when as they talked to each other when they thought that he was asleep or not paying attention. When he fell asleep, he dreamed.

As he woke up in the morning, he would try to focus on the visions of whatever dreams had visited him during the night. The dreams were always of Lisa, of course, and they were always full of love and joy. She was the writer, director and lead actress of every dream, with his only role being the spellbound audience…and he was completely happy with that. Like every great story throughout the ages, each dream of Lisa only made him want to see…to experience more. Every night in every dream, Lisa would tell him she loved him and to be strong. The details of the dream were so vivid…so real, that Rick almost felt her sleeping next to him.

It hurt so much to feel her presence so strongly, like she was just outside his reach. Every night he would hear her say that she loved him, as though she were lying next to him. That is until he reached across the bed to touch her and the emptiness in her place hit home like a sledgehammer to his chest.

After the inevitable period of a few minutes to pull himself together, he would head out to check on his company. They were usually still asleep, and Rick would be very careful not to disturb them, especially Miriya. Ever the night owl, Max was used to long nights and little sleep. Miriya on the other hand, could be a little cranky if she never got at least a decent night sleep. Max told him many times, and not always in jest, "You haven't lived dangerously until you have lived with a sleep deprived, female Zentraedi fighter pilot." To her credit, despite the late nights and early mornings, Miriya had been nothing but supportive and kind hearted.

He would begin breakfast and wait for Max or Miriya to wake up, after which time they would visit certain areas of the ship. One day it was the Sit. Room and the Bridge. Another day he went to Engineering and the Infirmary. He wouldn't try to do too much, as several times certain memories of Lisa associated with whatever area he was visiting would threaten to overcome him.

During a visit to the Engineering section, he and Max passed by the Botanical Gardens and he had almost fallen to pieces in the corridor. He had stopped by the entrance, taking in the fragrances that invariably spilled out into the corridor from the gardens. The delicate scents reminded him of Lisa's perfume and the bath oils she loved so much. He was doing fine until one of Fraser's assistants walked by the entrance with a tray of red lilies in his hands, and as soon as he saw those beautiful flowers the memories of the night he had raided Fraser's garden began to overwhelm him. The memories surged into his mind…raiding the garden, bringing Lisa breakfast in bed the next morning, talking to Amanda about how much he loved Lisa and joining Lisa in the tub after work. The raw emotions were physically hurting him. As he wavered and thought for sure that he was going to end up on the deck, he felt the supportive hand of Max on his arm, steadying him and bringing him back from the brink of emotional and physical collapse. Thankfully his faithful friend realized what was happening and was there to help pull him out of the tailspin he was in.

Just the day before he had tried to sneak out and head to the Sit. Room to check on things, leaving Miriya asleep in the recliner. He got half way to the Sit. Room when he felt her iron grip on his shoulder, and when he looked at her he would have laughed except the scowl on her face told him that would be …ill advised. She had woken up when the smell of coffee reached her, and realizing that Rick was gone she bolted after him without fixing her hair or washing the sleep from her eyes. By the time she had caught up to him, she looked as though she were quite capable of belting him if he said or did the wrong thing. He never said a word and started heading back to his quarters with her by his side.

After his visits, he would go back to his quarters and try to catch up on some paperwork, although he didn't get much done. Every time he read something he thought of what Lisa would think of it, and that would be the end of work. He had considered several times going down to visit his son, but he didn't want to disrupt the time with his friends, especially in the state he was in right now. Of course he spoke to Roy every day, and he had been in regular contact with the camp counselors, who said that Roy was doing exceptionally well under the circumstances. That gave Rick some comfort. Besides, he would see Roy at the service, and he would spend some time with him then…maybe visit a park or something. It was strange some of the thoughts that had entered his mind over the previous few days, almost as if the thoughts weren't really his own.

After supper, he would sit in the company of Max or Miriya or both, and talk. The one or two times that he had tried to bring up a memorial service for Lisa, Miriya would change the subject by bringing up a particularly emotional memory of Lisa, and he would forget about it. It wouldn't be until later that he would realize what had happened, and he would get angry with her…but then he remembered that it was hard on her too, and she was looking out for his emotional well-being.

"_The service"_, he thought as he waited for Jean Grant to arrive. _"There isn't a ceremony special enough…" _He cut the thought off before he got emotional…again. It was another extremely annoying, common occurrence in the last few days…to have a thought and have to prematurely end it before he became overcome with grief and sorrow. He had to hold it together for another little while, he wanted to go and visit the last department he hadn't been able to visit yet: Fleet Intelligence.

The thought of going there today made something in the back of his mind perk up and pay extra attention, and for a moment he couldn't figure out why. _"You know why, Rick"_, he thought after that moment had passed. _"Lisa told you to be careful around Sue, and you're heading into her domain." _He took a deep breath and blew it out. He couldn't very well avoid that department. First of all, it was a major on-ship department which reported to him. Second, he couldn't visit every other department on the ship and leave out one…it just wasn't fair. Third, he wanted to talk to Woods. Vince said Woods hadn't been checking in on the investigation as much as he should have been. Finally, he needed, despite his misgivings, to figure out what was going on with Graham. He and Max, after some consultation with Miriya, had come to the conclusion that Graham had not been truthful about her injured lip. While that in itself wasn't something to get worked up over, her history and past activities in relation to him made any indiscretion on her part that much more suspicious.

A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought. When he opened the door Jean had the biggest, most genuine smile he had ever seen, and he couldn't help but return it. "How are you, Jean?"

"I'm fine, Rick." She lifted one eyebrow and asked, "How are you?"

He had known Jean Grant for a lot of years, so he could hear what only a few other people would have heard in her cheerful voice: concern. That was one of the things that he thought made Jean Grant the best doctor he had ever known. No matter how tired, upset, angry or frustrated Jean Grant was, she always sounded cheerful and never gave the impression that she was focused on anything else but her patient at that particular time. Add to that that she was extremely intelligent and tenacious when it came to helping people, and she became the best doctor the REF could have. He had asked Jean to go with him to Fleet Intelligence primarily to give Max and Miriya a break, though it wouldn't hurt for her to take a look at Graham's lip too.

Rick smiled and said honestly, "I'm doing okay, Jean. I've been better and I've been worse."

Understanding showed in Jean's eyes, and her smile never wavered as she said, "I know. You know if there's anything we can do…"

Rick laughed and stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him. He looked at her and said, "I know, Jean." He held out his arm, which she took, and as they started walking he said, "Jean, I want you to take a good look at Sue Graham's lip…on the sly, that is. Don't let her catch on that you're really looking at it." Though he couldn't see it, he could feel Jean cast a questioning glance his way.

"When Max and I…" He stopped as two pilots walked by, and when he continued his voice was soft. "When Max and I visited the hangar deck the other day, Graham had a split lip, and we don't buy her story. Just take a good look and tell me what you think."

"Sure, Rick", she said, not allowing the curiosity to show in her voice. "No problem. What was her story?"

Rick shook his head. "I want you to see it first and give me your unbiased opinion. I'll tell you what she said after."

A little hint of mischief flavored Jean's voice as she responded. "All right there, Sherlock. Let's see what we can see."

Feeling up to her banter Rick responded, "Very well, my dear Watson."

As they walked on towards Fleet Intelligence, the two friends shared a hearty laugh.

----------------------------------

Commander Sue Graham sat in her office in Fleet Intelligence trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her lip. _"Two days and it still hurts like hell"_, she thought with a little amusement and a lot of bitterness. More than that, it just wouldn't stop bleeding. Just when she thought it had stopped she would forget about it for just a second and rub it, or it would reopen as she slept, or as she showered…something would happen.

She thought constantly about her plans, when she could ignore her painful lip…going over every little detail and even modifying them in a few places.

Her biggest obstacle to being with Rick, namely Lisa, was under control for the time being. The next, and more immediate problem was Angie. Angie's doubts and regrets about her role in the scheme seemed to have lessened in the last couple of days, but it was hard to say for certain. Angie had been avoiding Sue and Andrea, and the couple of times when either of them had managed to corner her, Angie was distant towards them. The stress of the situation was getting to her, and Andrea in particular had been trying very hard to get her to feel better about it all. That would soon end though, as Andrea would be leaving within a day or two to take up her new post as the senior personnel officer of Base Delta. It meant that Sue would have to keep an eye on Angie and take care of any problems that may arise from her, but having Andrea at Base Delta was a safety net she could no longer afford to be without.

Close behind Angie on the potential risk-o-meter came the Generals Sterling. Max Sterling was already suspicious of Sue. His not so subtle threat after he rescued her and Rick during the MED and the suspicion she could easily see in his eyes the other day on the hangar deck made that obvious. The actions of Miriya Sterling over the previous weeks also made it clear that she was also less than trusting of Sue. She would have to be more careful around them. Besides being ace pilots, both were highly intelligent, and very protective of Rick, and now they were Generals. The new rank complicated how she would be able to deal with them. Generals had more tools at their disposal in what she expected would be an all out offensive to keep her far away from Rick. As a Fleet Intelligence officer, she could stay out of the clutches of flight Captains, but it was going to be extremely difficult to not cross paths with the two Generals put in charge of the new Shadow fighter program.

Indeed, it would be impossible to avoid them now, especially if Woods granted her request to be the Fleet Intelligence officer assigned to the program. It would mean less flight time, but she would still get out there occasionally.

Max Sterling was the reason why she hadn't been able to visit the MED Moon on her last patrol. She heard through the grapevine that he had been making some inquiries of the pilots about her…her actions, her attitudes, if she had been acting strangely. That in itself wasn't a big problem, as she had been careful not to let any details slip out around anyone besides Grace and Marques. No, her problem came when Sterling talked to the one person who could tell him something that could be considered at the very least unusual: Lt. Roberts. He knew where she had been going whenever she had left the squadron during patrols, and someone as intelligent and suspicious as Sterling might start piecing together the puzzle and end her game prematurely.

But Roberts, not wanting to get Graham in trouble for whatever reason, told Sterling that she was a capable officer and a good pilot who followed orders. She wasn't sure why Roberts hadn't told Sterling about her trips to the moon. Some part of her mind suspected that it was because he had some sort of feelings for her, and because of those feelings, whatever they were, he didn't want to see her get into any kind of trouble.

"_There could be a way to turn that to my advantage"_, she realized.

A knock on her door interrupted her, and she came to attention when she found her CO, Major Woods, standing on the other side.

He motioned for her to relax, and as she did he said, "We have a special guest coming by in a few minutes, Commander. I would like all personnel front and center for this. Take care of it." With that he turned and walked back to his office.

Sue walked out into Fleet Intelligence and looked at Woods' door as it closed. He had become withdrawn from his people, and even when he did associate with them he wasn't his usual jolly self. He had become curt and very impatient with everything and everyone. The only time she tried to ask him about it he nearly took her head off, so she was very careful to refrain from even hinting at it again. She walked around telling the department commanders to prepare for a VIP, and as she did so she wondered who the visitor could be._ "One of the Sterlings perhaps, trying to assert their newfound authority over the rest of us"_, she thought sourly.

A minute later she had everyone alerted to the visit, and she stood near the door to Fleet Intelligence, surveying the massive department. Woods was a good CO and had been doing a fine job, but she took some pride into the improvements that she had made since her transfer.

She heard the door open behind her, took a deep breath and turned to regard their visitor. Her heart jumped up into her windpipe when she saw Rick. She recovered almost immediately, came to attention and then announced loudly, "Admiral on deck!"

All over the expansive room, activities ceased and people turned to face their Admiral and came to attention.

Rick looked around the room and said, "As you were everyone." He turned his attention, out of necessity not choice, to the ranking officer present: Graham. "Major Woods is not around, Commander?"

"Ah, he's ah…he's in his office, sir." She swallowed the lump in her throat and added, "If you'll excuse me for a second sir, I'll go and get him." She took a step towards his office door.

"As you were, Commander", said Rick. Graham stopped in her tracks and as he walked past her he added, "I'll get him.

Sue watched attentively as Rick walked up to Woods' door, gave a quick double knock and entered without waiting for permission from the room's occupant.

Sue was so intent on watching Rick that she never even noticed that she was the object of someone else's concentrated gaze.

----------------------------------

Rick knocked on the door, opened it and walked in without waiting for permission. He closed the door behind him and sized up the person sitting behind the desk. Woods looked as though he were asleep with his eyes wide open. Rick cleared his throat and said, "What's up, Tim?"

Woods jumped a little, startled to find the highest-ranking officer of the REF in his office, and shocked that he hadn't even heard Rick Hunter come in. He stood up immediately and cracked his knee off his desk, but despite the pain in his knee, he stood at attention, trying very hard not to let the red hot flush go to his cheeks.

"As you were, Tim", said Rick as he motioned for Woods to sit. As Woods lowered himself carefully into his chair Rick said, "I'm sorry I surprised you, Tim. Are you all right?"

Rick wasn't sure what to expect from Woods. He knew him of course, but not as well as some of the other department heads. Rick recalled his knowledge of Woods. _"Middle-aged, never married, career officer, been head of Fleet Intelligence for years, worked with Lisa aboard the SDF-1…Lisa."_

That was it. Lisa knew Timothy Woods and knew him well. In a gentle voice Rick said, "Tim, there was nothing…"

Woods quickly looked up to Rick and said harshly, "I am responsible, Admiral. What's the saying…'The buck stops here?' Lisa is dead because Fleet Intelligence failed to sniff out and eliminate any potential risks. The responsibility is mine." When he finished he lowered his eyes to his desk. "The failure was mine."

Rick looked at Woods and felt nothing but compassion for the man. "Tim, listen to me very carefully. There was no reason to believe the shuttle would be targeted. Come on Tim! I see the intelligence reports every day, from Fleet Intelligence and from the other departments. Fleet Security had no idea; Base Alpha security and intelligence had no indication at all that this was going to happen. No one had any idea this was going to happen. Tim…this isn't your fault."

Rick watched as Woods slowly shook his head. "Tim, I need you get tough. I need you to command this department." Rick saw that Woods still wouldn't look at him. "Tim!", Rick almost shouted. Woods looked up and Rick seized the chance and looked Woods square in the eyes and said, "I need you to help me catch whoever did this…for Lisa."

Rick watched as a new look came over Woods' face, a look of newfound purpose and determination.

Woods stood up slowly, looked at Rick as he walked towards him and said confidently, "We will find who did this, sir…I swear it."

Rick nodded his head. When Woods reached him he put his right hand on Woods' shoulder and said, "Good. Now come and escort me around your department, Major, so we can both get back to the important stuff."

"With pleasure, sir."

A moment later Admiral Hunter was walking around Fleet Intelligence, escorted by Woods, Graham and Jean.

----------------------------------

After Rick and Dr. Grant had left, Major Woods assembled the Fleet Intelligence staff together in the main conference room. He seemed more like himself since Rick visited him in his office, and Sue was glad to see it. She genuinely liked Woods.

When he entered the room, everyone turned their attention to their CO. He looked around and began, "As of now Fleet Intelligence exists for only one purpose: to find out what happened to Admiral Lisa Hunter's shuttle. With the exception of a couple of extremely sensitive ops, all other operations are suspended or cancelled, depending on their individual importance and what stages they are in."

Sue felt the blood drain from her face, but she kept her focus on Woods, as was expected of her.

"Captain Grant has assured me that salvage teams will have recovered all of the shuttle pieces by tomorrow morning in cargo bay three. Our experts have already determined that the shuttle explosion was not an accident, nor was the explosion of the Alpha on Base Alpha. The salvaged remains of that Alpha will be ferried up to cargo bay three as well, for comparative analysis of the blast patterns and so forth. I have requested assistance from explosive experts from Tirol and Kabarra…they will also arrive tomorrow." Woods looked around at his people. "It will take the engineers a couple of days at best to go over the wreckage and to some preliminary reassembling of shuttle. We will use those days to do the necessary research and assimilate what information we already have."

He looked down to the folder he had in his hand for a moment, and then looked back up, and when he did Sue was sickened to notice that his gaze fell to her.

"I will be leading this investigation personally from now on. All information will flow through me, no exceptions. I want to know anything and everything, right down to the tiniest detail. Commander Graham, since I will be devoting my full attention to this investigation, I am turning operational command of Fleet Intelligence to you. I'll brief you on the operations that need to be kept ongoing. It'll probably keep you from flying for a while, but that's it."

He paused and looked around at the faces of the people assembled before him once again. "We will find out what happened. We will find out who is responsible for these murders. We will bring the person or persons responsible to justice. Is that clear?"

The Fleet Intelligence staff murmured their affirmation of his statements. Not at all satisfied with the halfhearted response, Woods sighed loudly. "I am perturbed by the apparent lack of enthusiasm for this endeavor", he began with a vicious joviality. "I promise that if I find anyone gliding through this investigation or not doing his or her absolute best to find out who did this, I'll have their bars decorating my office wall, along with a fair sized chunk of their hide." He let his not so delicate threat sink in for a second and then repeated, "We will find out what happened. We will find out who is responsible for these murders. We will bring the person or persons to justice. Is that clear?"

"YES, SIR", came their collective response.

Satisfied he had made his point, Major Timothy Woods departed from the conference room and headed for his office to plan his schedule, and totally unaware of the havoc he had just thrown into the life of Sue Graham.

----------------------------------

As they walked arm in arm through the corridors of the SDF-3 towards his quarters, Rick looked Jean and asked, "Well Watson…what did you deduce about the injury of one Sue Graham?"

Jean smiled and responded in kind. "Well Holmes, I deduce that her injury was most likely caused by a blow to the face. A relatively small object would have caused the blow, as the injury appeared to be localized to a certain area, a small area at that. I could see no other injuries. For example, her nasal area, chin or cheeks…even her top lip all appeared to be undamaged and unmarked."

Rick's head was hurting. He let loose a sigh and asked, "In other words, Jean?"

She smiled. "If I had to guess, Rick, I'd say that someone gave her a petty solid smack to her kisser."

It was Rick's turn to smile. "So, someone hit her?"

"That's my opinion", said Jean. "Now keep in mind I didn't get the closest of looks. What did she say happened?"

Rick told her the story Graham had given him and Max when he had asked on the hangar deck, and even before he had finished, Jean was shaking her head.

"Not a chance that caused her injury, Rick." She thought for a second. "I've very seldom heard of that type of injury for starters. But if that did happen, she would have done more than split her bottom lip. Something else would have impacted the fuselage as well. If her head were tilted up, her chin would have hit too. If it were tilted down, her top lip would have hit, and maybe her nose as well. If her head were tilted to either side, the injury wouldn't have happened to the front part of her lip, but to the side of her mouth and her cheek. If she hit flush, both lips at the very least would have been traumatized." Jean paused for a moment and then said confidently, "No. What hit her would have been the size of a fist…maybe a little bigger, but not much bigger."

Rick nodded absently, going over in his mind the possible reasons for someone wanting to hit Graham. As far as he knew, and from Max and Miriya could find out, she had been keeping out of trouble, performing well in Fleet Intelligence and as a pilot with Pegasus. Lieutenant Roberts in particular had been quite adamant that she was an exemplary officer and pilot.

"_Miriya might take a crack at her if the right circumstances presented themselves to her"_, he thought with mild amusement. _"But she would have told me or Max. Max wouldn't touch her physically without severe provocation. The only person I could think of that would want to physically harm Sue Graham would be… Lisa…"_

----------------------------------

The pain in Sue's injured lip was approaching tortuous proportions.

"_Of course it could be the fact that I just got grounded"_, she thought, but she shook her head as she realized the truth. _"No, it's more than that."_

Sue leaned back in her chair and went over the talk she had with Woods after the meeting proper. Actually, it could be classified more as the talk he had with her. She didn't get to say much…Woods was like a man on a mission.

Woods' new attitude towards the investigation and her place away from that investigation were troublesome. Woods was incredibly intelligent, and if he focused all of that intelligence into the investigation, he would find out what happened, no matter how careful she had been. And the explosive expert from Tirol…

Her tongue gently probed her bottom lip, and when she tasted that telltale copper flavor she once again, for what seemed to be the millionth time, cursed her lips inability to heal. She reached down and took a tissue out of the box on her desk and wiped the blood from her lip. She contemplated going to the infirmary to have it looked at, but she decided against it. There would be questions asked that she wasn't prepared to answer.

Then there was Rick. He never touched her today, not once. He barely even acknowledged her presence.

"_Of course he couldn't"_, she thought. _"He is supposed to be grieving."_ That would change. If she could spend time with him…if Woods didn't figure it all out…if the Sterlings would mind their own business…if Angie wouldn't…

"_NO!"_, she screamed at herself as she shook her head in an effort to remove those negative thoughts. _"No more ifs, Sue…it's all or nothing now."_

She shook her head again and amended, _"It's Rick…it's me and Rick."_

----------------------------------

Rick looked at himself in the mirror of his bathroom, once again sizing up the gray hairs and lines around his eyes. _"It's not getting any better"_, he realized sadly. He looked at his reflection and asked,_ "And it's not going to…is it?"_ He waited for an answer. His image declined to respond, of course, and he managed to laugh at himself a little. He didn't need anyone or anything to tell him that the pain would never go away. Even after all these years, the deaths of Roy and Ben still affected him, as did the deaths of his parents.

Rick stood up, straightened his uniform and opened the bathroom door. When he walked out into the living room, he looked at each of his friends. Max, Miriya, Jean and Vince were all sitting down, watching him carefully.

Rick Hunter took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's time." His friends looked at him, and one by one he looked at them for their agreement, until he finally arrived at Miriya, who hung her head, foreshadowing the grief and sadness the topic of Lisa's memorial service would evoke in them all. Rick looked upon the beautiful Zentraedi with unadulterated sympathy. He knew it would be extremely difficult for her… the conversations they had recently left no doubt about it. If she said no, he would wait, out of respect for her and all that she had done for his wife, and for him.

Finally she looked up, and with a steady but emotion filled voice she said quietly, "Yes…it is time."

Rick smiled, for her benefit more than any other reason, and took the seat next to her. For the next couple of hours, Rick Hunter planned the service that would be forever etched in his mind, heart and soul as his final good-bye to the woman he loved so much.


	22. Chapter 22

Max Sterling rapidly blinked his eyes several times to try to get them to focus. He was tired…very tired. The last few days had taken a physical and emotional toll on him, as it had on Miriya. The only thing that kept them from giving up was the fact that Rick and Roy needed them so much. The couple of times that he thought he couldn't do anymore, he thought of Lisa and Rick and how much they had done for him and his family over the years. From the day that he and Miriya got married, to Dana's birth, up to now and all points in between, Rick and Lisa Hunter had been there for him and Miriya. _"What it all boils down to"_, he reminded himself, _"is that they would do the same thing for me if I lost Miriya."_

Max waited next to his Alpha, appropriately designated General One, and waited for his passenger to arrive. The tarmac of Base Delta was wet from the mist that had been falling since before he had arrived. He was tempted to go and check in with Captain Fredrickson to get out of the dampness, but the gray skies and falling mist suited his frame of mind perfectly.

It was a miserably overcast day, and he was in a miserably gloomy mood.

He leaned his head back to let the light rain fall onto his face, and for a second it almost helped to cleanse his mind of the task that was all too fast approaching. Any second now, his "nephew" would be coming out of the main building and it would fall to Max to take him to one of the most trying times of his life.

Max thought for a moment about Roy. Like Rick was the brother he never had, Roy was the nephew he could spoil, and much to Lisa's consternation he did spoil Roy whenever he got the chance. The pall that had fallen over Max deepened as he thought of the three of them. He remembered seeing the three of them together for the first time in Lisa's infirmary room aboard the SDF-3. Rick was the typical new father, beaming with pride and taking every opportunity to tell anyone who would listen that he had a son. The only other time Max had seen Rick so happy was the day that he married Lisa. Then there was Lisa. They say that women get an aura around them when they become pregnant, and while that was true with Lisa, the aura only strengthened after she gave birth. She sat there in bed, watching Rick hold their newborn son with the most serene look upon her face, and she just glowed. The reason for their blissful attitudes was the proverbial bundle of joy. He was the most pleasant baby that Max had ever seen, and the relationship between the three was incredible to behold.

Now however, the connection was broken.

Max loved the little boy deeply and hated that he had to go through this. While it pained Max all the way to the core of his soul to be the one to pick him up on this day and take him to the ship and the heart ache that waited for him there, Max wouldn't dare let anyone else to do it. No…it was his responsibility and that's all there was to it. It was his responsibility to do this just as it was his honor and privilege every time the sweet little boy called him Uncle Max.

"Uncle Max!"

Roy's call woke Max out of his little respite, and when he looked towards the voice Max's gloom lifted like a fog. Max couldn't help but smile when he saw the surprised and happy grin on the boy's face through his water covered glasses.

"I'm looking for a copilot", called Max, as he took his glasses off and cleaned them. As he replaced his glasses he added, "Do you know where I could find one?"

"Me!", shouted Roy as he started to run to Max. It was a game they always played, and Max was relieved to see that it was the same today. Despite how tired he was and how upset he felt he was determined not to show it to Roy. He grunted in pretend pain as Roy slammed into his legs and he picked the boy up and gave him a big hug, which Roy returned. A woman that Max didn't recognize came up to them, holding a gym bag. She was wearing a medical uniform and had a smile on her face told Max that she was happy to see Roy so happy.

"General Sterling, sir", said the woman as a greeting. "I'm Nurse Hobson, one of Roy's counselors."

Roy leaned back to look at Max and said with some confusion, "Uncle Max, I thought you were Captain Sterling."

Max laughed and then said, "I was, Roy…but your old man gave me a promotion so he wouldn't have to do as much work."

Roy thought for a moment and then asked, "Did Auntie Miri get a… pr…a promo…a promonster too?"

Max smiled. "It's promotion, Roy and yes, your Dad gave Auntie Miri a promotion too."

Roy looked thoughtful for another second, and showing the wisdom Max had come to know that he possessed Roy said, "Wow…Dad don't want to do any work, do he?"

Max laughed, and was joined immediately by the woman who had brought Roy out. "Okay, little man…enough trashing your old man. Ready to go?" When Roy nodded, Max lowered Roy to the ground and took the bag from the counselor. As Roy gave the counselor a hug, Max put Roy's bag in the Alpha's storage compartment. When he closed the compartment, he turned and said, "All right, copilot Hunter, let's go."

Max climbed up into the Alpha, then reached down to help Roy up the ladder while the counselor held onto him from behind. Moments later, the canopy was down and Max began to move the Alpha to the takeoff position as Roy waved good-bye to the counselor through the canopy. They reached their assigned takeoff position and Max called the tower, which cleared them for departure. Max told Roy to hold on and he moved the throttle forward. As they raced down the runway, he could feel Roy laughing more than hear him. Max gently pulled the stick back and the Alpha began to lift off the runway. Several minutes later, the Alpha breached Tirol's atmosphere and they were in space.

Roy looked to Max and asked, "Uncle Max, can we?"

Max looked into Roy's eyes and said, "You know we can. Hold on tight."

He felt the boy's hold on him tighten, and he had no trouble hearing him laugh a few seconds later as Max did a series of barrel rolls.

----------------------------------

Almost an hour later, Max and Roy stood in front of the door to Rick's quarters. Max knocked once and opened the door to find Rick standing in the middle of the living room, with Jean and Vince sitting on the couch.

"Daddy!", yelled Roy before taking off in a dead run for Rick. When Roy reached him Rick scooped him up and hugged him fiercely.

"Hey buddy", said Rick softly. "How was the flight up?" Rick leaned back to look at his son and asked before Roy could answer, "Did Uncle Max do any barrel rolls?"

Roy nodded his head and hugged Rick again. Rick closed his eyes, trying very hard to keep them from welling up with the tears that he knew were just inside there ready to drop at a moments notice.

Max, Jean and Vince remained silent as the father and son reunion continued on for another few moments. None of them wanted to intrude on the moment, and they savored the happiness that Rick and Roy were feeling at that moment. They were all too aware of the fact that the next day would bring very little happiness to their lives.

Rick placed Roy gently onto the floor and said to him, "Are you hungry buddy?" Roy nodded his head and Rick looked to Jean, "Auntie Jean will take you into the kitchen and get you something okay? Daddy needs to talk to Uncle Max and Uncle Vince for a minute."

Before Roy could say anything Jean bounded up off the couch and had Roy up in her arms tickling him as she carried him to the kitchen.

Rick laughed a little as he watched them disappear into the kitchen, and when they were out of sight Rick turned to Max and asked, "How's he doing, Max?"

Max stepped closer to Rick. "He seems to be doing fine, Boss, under the circumstances. He was joking and pleasant the whole trip…his usual chatty self, telling me about everything that he's been up to. I never had a chance to talk to the counselor that brought him to the tarmac, but she didn't seem to be concerned or anything."

Rick nodded his head. "Thanks, Max."

"Any chance I can get to spend with Roy, Rick, you know that." He stepped closer to Rick placed his left hand on Rick's shoulder and said, "It was my pleasure."

It was then that Jean and Roy walked out of the kitchen, and as Roy went to the table with what appeared to Rick to be an peanut butter and jam sandwich, an apple and a glass of juice, Jean walked towards Rick with a smile on her face.

"I wonder where he gets that massive appetite from", she said as she passed by Rick, unable to resist the temptation of irritating Rick a little by patting his stomach.

Despite himself, Rick laughed and said without thinking, "I guess. It's a good thing he has Lisa's metabolism." As soon as he finished saying it he froze, not knowing if Roy heard, and if he did hear it if he was affected by it. He slowly turned to look at his son, and the relief that he felt when he saw that Roy didn't hear his comment was immense.

Jean walked back to Rick and said quietly, "It's okay, Rick. It's only natural for you to talk about her, and expect him to talk about her too. It's normal and it's healthy…for you both." She threw a glance over to Roy and added, "Lisa is his mother, Rick, and she always will be no matter what. It's important for him to keep that bond strong; it can help him when he needs it."

Rick saw the compassion in his friend's eyes, and as usual Jean's demeanor eased his mind. _"Of course. She will always be his mother"_, he realized, _"just as she will forever be my wife."_

Taking Rick's hesitation as their cue, Vince stood up from the couch and said to Jean, "We should be going, Jean. Rick and Roy should spend some alone time together."

Jean nodded to Vince and then turned back to Rick. "If you need us…"

"I'll call", Rick interrupted with a smile. "Thanks, Jean. See you guys tomorrow."

They started to leave when Rick remembered something he was going to tell them. "Hold on a second." They stopped at the door and he walked up to them. "I want you guys to come here tomorrow, before the service and leave with us. I'd like you both to sit with us too. You guys, and Max and Miriya…you're family." He turned to look at Roy as he ate his apple and said added quietly, "You're the only family we have left." When he looked back he could see a tear rolling down Jean's cheek and solemn appreciation in Vince's eyes.

Jean reached over and hugged Rick, and as she did she whispered, "We think of you in the same way, Rick. We'll be here."

Rick released Jean and shook the hand that Vince held out to him. "See you tomorrow."

A moment later, after saying good-bye to Roy, they were gone. When Rick turned around he looked at Max and said, "Why don't you go home too, Max. I've got some catching up to do with my son." Rick smiled and added, "Go home and spend some time with your beautiful wife, General…that's an order."

Max smiled. He got up and said to Roy, "I'm outta here, little man. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Roy nodded his head with the rapid energy of a four year old and said, "Good night, Uncle Max."

"Good night, buddy." Max walked up to the door, took the handle in his hand and said to Rick, "Be back in the morning, Boss."

"See you then, Max…and Max. Thanks again."

Max smiled and without another word he was gone.

Rick turned to watch his son, and as he walked towards the table he said, "So, my son…have you been staying out of trouble?"

----------------------------------

Several hours later, Rick looked with amazement at the papers he held in his hands. There were eight letter size papers, filled on each side with normal sized text that detailed the plethora of speakers, observances and protocols for Lisa's memorial service.

It had gotten out of control.

When Rick had finished planning the service two nights earlier with his friends, Lisa's friends, it was a simple service with a couple of speakers and minimal fanfare. It was the solemn and simple service Rick would have wanted for himself…the type of service he knew Lisa would have wanted.

Then however the protocol officers, public relations department, diplomatic service and politicos got their hands into it and it spiraled into something that Rick wasn't able to recognize as the service he had originally mapped out.

Instead of family, friends and Lisa's crew, there would also be ambassadors, planetary leaders and any number of other beings that Rick neither knew or cared to meet at this occasion.

He wasn't really sure he was angrier with…the protocol officer in charge, Lt. Commander Kingsley, or himself. In the end, he decided he should be madder at himself.

Kingsley was just doing her job, and in the final analysis she was paying a wonderful tribute to Lisa. Plus, she was under pressure from almost everyone to pull off a special service, and she was doing her best to do just that.

No, he realized he was more pissed at himself. He was being selfish, trying to keep it simple and quiet and more or less to himself. No matter how much he didn't like it right now, she was more than a wife, mother and friend…she was an officer, an Admiral, who touched more lives than just his own and their son's. She affected so many people in so many ways that it was unfair of him to try to shut them out.

That had been the substance of Kingsley's passionate argument for the full-blown ceremony. She meant so much to so many, that they shouldn't be deprived of the closure that they needed and deserved. Besides that, Kingsley argued that Lisa deserved all the respect and honor that could be shown to a woman who had such an amazingly distinguished military career.

He looked through the papers again, doing mental sums to try to figure out the length of the service. It would be much longer than he had anticipated when he told Roy that he could be there, and Rick figured it would be a long time and a lot of emotion for his young son to endure. However, Jean lobbied for him to let Roy attend, arguing that it was important for Roy to see how loved and respected his mother was. More importantly, it was paramount that Roy feel included in Rick's life and grieving process. He needed to be with Rick when he said good-bye to Lisa…they needed to do it together, as a family, and eventually Rick saw the wisdom in what she said.

Rick put the papers on the coffee table, stood up and headed into the bedroom, turning off the light as he passed the switch with a frustrated slap of his hand.

Rick slowed down by his son's room and looked in through the half open door to check on Roy. Rick and Roy had just barely gotten caught up on Roy's activities when it was time for him to go to bed. Max was right…Roy seemed to be his usual cheerful, almost five year old self. He regaled Rick with stories of his friends and the counselors at the camp, all of whom he seemed to have genuine affection for. From what he could understand from Roy, the camp was the greatest, and that was terribly reassuring to Rick. With Lisa gone, he would have a lot more on his plate work wise. If the camp wasn't a good fit for Roy, or if he didn't like there, Rick would have worked something out and kept Roy aboard ship with him, something that would enable him to be there for him.

Rick crept into the room and replaced the blankets over Roy that he had kicked off in his sleep…a habit Lisa always said Roy obtained from him. Rick knelt down and gently brushed the hair from Roy's eyes, and then silently watched his son sleep peacefully.

As he watched his son he thought, _"How do I do this without you, Lisa? How can I raise him to be the man we know he can be when the best part of me died with you?"_

As he finished the question, Roy began to stir. Rick watched as his son tried to get comfortable, and when he finished Roy had his right hand underneath his right cheek, an image all too familiar to Rick.

"_Just like you, Lisa"_, he said to himself. _"What I wouldn't give to see you sleep like that again."_

He got up quietly, bent down to kiss his son on his cheek and left Roy's room and headed into his own room. He walked over and sat down on the edge of his bed, on Lisa's side. From the very first time that they slept together in the same bed up until the night before the explosion, they both slept on their own side of the bed, deviating from that practice only when passion had exhausted them too much to move. But now, he wanted to sleep where she had slept…he needed to sleep where she had slept. Without getting undressed, Rick Hunter leaned back onto Lisa's pillow, turned onto his side and cuddled his face into her pillow. When he finally closed his eyes he felt her next to him, if only for a brief moment…

----------------------------------

Three hours before the service was to begin, Max looked at himself in the bathroom mirror and for what he thought was the hundredth time he straightened out the wrinkles in his dress uniform. As he brushed down his sides with his hands he asked over his shoulder, "Is there anyone who actually likes to wear these things?"

"No", came the uncharacteristic gruff response.

He turned to look out the bathroom door at the source of the response. Miriya was standing next to their bed, trying to do something with her uniform. He couldn't help but smile. _"She may not like to wear it"_, he thought, _"but she sure looks good in it."_

Obviously dissatisfied with something, Miriya asked tersely, "How much longer until the service begins?"

Max walked out the door into their bedroom, looked at the clock next to their bed and replied, "A few hours…what's the problem?"

"Nothing", she snapped loudly.

Max knew better. Miriya could be aloof sometimes, testy at others if the occasion called for it. When she was with their friends however, she was usually kind, funny and friendly. When she was alone with him, she was loving, sweet and even sexy. When she snapped at him something was wrong, and it was easy to tell what.

Despite Miriya's life as a warrior, she had never had to say good-bye to someone as close to her as Lisa was. Sure, she lost subordinates in the ranks of the Quadrano, the RDF and the REF. She had even lost friends, like Sammie, Vanessa and Kim or Rico, Bron, and Konda, but that was different. Miriya and Lisa shared a special bond, a bond whose depth he didn't fully comprehend until he saw Miriya so distraught over Lisa's death. Since Lisa's death, Max had come to realize that how Miriya mourned for Lisa was perhaps no different than how she would mourn for him.

She had taken Lisa's death very hard, keeping her emotions at bay only because Rick needed her. Now though, she was going to have to say good-bye to Lisa. It never escaped his attention that whenever the mention of a memorial service was made she would derail it somehow. The first night Rick mentioned it and went into his bathroom, it was Miriya who suggested that Rick might not be ready for it. There had been a couple of times when he had mentioned it as well, and she would change the subject or…distract him.

Max watched as Miriya tried to fix one of the clasps on her uniform. After several attempts her frustration boiled over and she pulled at it violently. Max quickly moved to Miriya and took her hands in hands in his, holding them with a tenderness reserved only for her. He looked into her eyes and asked again, in a warm and loving voice, "What is wrong?"

Miriya looked down to the floor, but Max could see that she wasn't focused on anything in particular. He released her hands and easily did up the clasp on her uniform that she had been having difficulty with. He took her hands in his again and waited with the patience that had made him a legend in his own time.

"Thank you, Max", whispered the voice of his wife.

It was a heart-rending whisper, almost child like in its inflection and speed. Max gave her hands a gentle squeeze and began to gently rub them, trying to show her that he was there for her.

"I miss her, Max", she said sadly. "I miss her and I do not want to say good-bye."

Max brought his right hand up to her delicate face and used his index finger to gently lift her head up. When she looked at him he could see many emotions fluttering in her usually confident eyes…though confidence wasn't one of the things he saw now. Even when they first began their life together and she was becoming use to the Micronian way of life, her eyes were always confident. What he saw in her eyes now was pain, sorrow, loss and most disturbing of all, uncertainty.

"We all miss her, Miriya, and that's all right…"

"I know, Max." Her face brightened a little. "I will be okay."

Max was about to push the issue when she said, "If you are ready, we should go to Rick's quarters."

She gave Max a kiss on his cheek and headed for the living room, leaving him in the bedroom to wonder what he could do or say to make her feel better.

----------------------------------

Rick knelt down and put his hands on his son's shoulders. "How are you holding up, Roy?"

Roy looked at his father and said, "I'm okay Daddy."

Rick smiled and fixed his son's tie. Rick wasn't sure about putting the suit on Roy so early, almost three hours before the service, but after everyone arrived it would probably get a little hectic. Besides, Roy liked wearing the suit and tie though Rick could never figure out why. While Rick didn't particularly like wearing a suit and tie, it was better than wearing the dress uniform he hated so much. The main reason he was wearing a suit and tie however, was so that his son wouldn't feel out of place. All REF personnel attending the service would be wearing their dress uniforms. Everyone else would probably be wearing some type of uniform or wear something that distinguished them from the human crew. So he decided that he and Roy would wear what Lisa liked to call their best Sunday suits: black suits, white shirts and ties; black for him and blue for Roy.

Rick stood up and said, "That's my boy."

He began to walk towards the kitchen when Roy said, "Daddy." Rick looked at him and Roy used his hand to gesture for Rick to come back, which he did. When he knelt down again by his son, Roy looked at him and asked, "How are you holding up, Daddy?"

Rick was surprised by Roy's question, and when he didn't answer right away he could see a flicker of worry in the boy's eyes. As Roy reached over and fixed his tie, Rick smiled and responded with, "I'm doing fine, buddy." When Roy finished with Rick's tie, Rick lowered his head down so that his forehead touched Roy's. Father and son stayed like that for a moment. "Thank you, Roy", Rick said, and then lifted his head up.

Roy smiled and said, "You're welcome, Daddy."

Rick returned Roy's smile just as someone knocked on the door. Rick found Max and Miriya waiting on the other side of the door, looking very distinguished in their dress uniforms.

"Hi guys…come on in." As they passed by him into the living room, Rick noticed the light shine on the numerous bars and ribbons pinned to their uniforms. There were just as many on his own, but it occurred to him that the number of bars and ribbons they each had was dwarfed by the number that Lisa had upon her dress uniform.

"Uncle Max!", called Roy and ran to Max.

Max picked him up and hugged him. "Hey there, little man!" Max took a second to hug Roy, to let him know that he was there for him. He couldn't help but notice that Miriya simply walked over to the couch and sat down without saying a word to Rick or Roy. With Roy still in his arms he turned and walked a couple of steps towards the kitchen and stopped.

Rick also noticed Miriya's actions and followed Max. When he raised his eyebrows in a silent query, Max just slowly shook his head. Rick understood. Miriya was taking it hard, as they all were, but Miriya was especially vulnerable. He and Max for example had been dealing with the emotions that come with losing a loved one for all of their lives. Miriya on the other hand, hadn't had nearly as much time learning how to cope with those kinds of intense feelings.

Max put Roy down, knelt down beside him and said, "So, have you been rough on your old man?"

"Hey!", said Rick in pretend indignation and Roy laughed.

Roy shook his head. "No, not yet."

Max and Rick smiled at the comment. "Roy, could you go into your room and bring out your shoes please?"

Roy nodded and began walking towards his room, and as he did Max stood up and regarded Miriya with concern.

Rick stepped closer to Max and said in a hushed voice, "She's not doing too well?"

Max shook his head slowly. "She's not taking it well at all, Rick." Max looked to Rick and saw the sympathy in his eyes. "I just don't know what to say to her. She won't really listen to me when I try to talk to her about it." Max looked to Miriya, and then back to Rick and continued, "It's almost like she…"

Max stopped talking when Rick's eyes narrowed and his attention apparently focused somewhere else. Max turned to see what grabbed Rick's eye and found Roy heading straight for Miriya. Remembering Miriya's earlier attitude, he wasn't sure if Roy talking to her was a good idea. He moved to go to intercept Roy, but Rick stopped him by putting his hand on Max's shoulder and whispering, "Wait."

"Auntie Miri", said Roy. When Miriya looked up to him, Roy held out his arms for a hug.

Miriya saw something in those big blue eyes of Roy Hunter, something she had seen many times before in the emerald green eyes of his mother. She wasn't sure what it was exactly. It could have been compassion, friendship, concern, or love. _"Or perhaps"_, she realized, _"it is all of those things." _She smiled at Roy and held out her arms and Roy walked into to her embrace. She held the little boy tightly, as tightly as she would hug Lisa if she were to magically walk in through the door.

"Are you sad, Auntie Miri?", asked Roy.

"Yes Roy, I'm very sad", responded Miriya, unable to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"It's okay, Auntie Miri", said Roy softly. Roy kept his right arm around Miriya's neck, placed his left hand on Miriya's left knee and pushed himself up onto her lap. After Miriya realized what Roy was trying to do, she helped him up and got him settled.

Rick and Max continued to watch the scene unfolding in front of them with amazement.

The genuine concern and affection in Roy's face and voice settled the maelstrom of emotions that had been churning inside of her, and for the first time in a long time she really felt like smiling.

When she smiled Roy asked, "Auntie Miri, you miss Mommy don't you?"

Miriya's smile faded just a little, and when she spoke her voice dripped with sorrow. "Yes Roy…I miss your mother. She was my best friend, and I will miss her very much."

Roy cuddled into Miriya's neck and said, "I miss Mommy too, but I can see her whenever I want."

Miriya looked at Roy skeptically.

"When you really miss her, Auntie Miri, all you have to do is close your eyes", said Roy quietly, as if sharing one of his deepest secrets.

Miriya's smile brightened up again. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Max and Rick simultaneously turn to each other with profoundly surprised expressions on their faces.

"When I miss Mommy, I close my eyes and she talks to me...and then I don't miss her so much." Roy lifted his head from Miriya's shoulder and looked at her. "When you miss Mommy, close your eyes and you can see her and hear her. I promise." He smiled that Hunter smile that he inherited from Rick. "Then you won't miss Mommy so much, and you won't be sad anymore." He cuddled into her neck again and added, "She's still with me, and Auntie Miri she's with you too. She's with Daddy, and Uncle Max too." He moved back to look at her with a great big grin and said in a hush, "I promise."

She was going to cry and there was no way to stop it. She hugged Roy to her so that he couldn't see the tears. _"'Close your eyes and you can see and hear her'"_, she repeated in her mind. _"As long as I can remember her and see her in my mind, she is truly with me, isn't she? She will never really be gone. Whenever I need her…remember."_

"Thank you, Roy", she whispered to him. "Thank you very much."

He straightened up and looked at her, and when he saw her tears his faced became concerned and he asked, "You're still sad, Auntie Miri?"

Miriya shook her head emphatically and smiled. "No, Roy." She remembered something Max used to tell Dana a long time ago, "These are happy tears. I am happy that you reminded me that I can see your Mommy when I need to." She placed her hand on Roy's cheek and said, "Thank you for doing that."

Roy's smile returned as he said happily, "You're welcome, Auntie Miri."

Across the room, Rick and Max looked on in astonishment. It was Max who was first able to calm his emotions and gather his thoughts enough to speak.

"That's one incredibly brilliant son you've got there, Rick", he said, his voice almost cracking.

Rick took a deep breath before responding. "No Max", he said with reverence in his voice. "That was Lisa's son talking."

----------------------------------

Lieutenant Commander Natalie Kingsley stood just inside the main doors to the observation deck and combed the stage for any imperfections in its design and setup. Her dark blue eyes found none, and finally satisfied she went to the nearest communications panel and entered the number for the bridge. She informed Captain Forsythe that the deck was ready, as per the orders of General Sterling. When she finished talking to Forsythe, she walked up to the stage and went around it one more time, finally stopping between the stage and the window. The window went from the floor up to the ceiling and was the length of the bulkhead. She watched as the Skull and Eagle squadrons ran through the routine for their part in the ceremony, and as she watched she couldn't help but be impressed.

She turned around and walked to the front of the stage and looked down at the hundreds of chairs, visualizing where each delegation was to be seated. She had spent hours upon hours organizing the ceremony, with the help of the Diplomatic Corps and the rest of her protocol staff. It had been a daunting task, but all in all it had been a lot easier than she had thought it was going to be, a testament to the honor being bestowed upon Admiral Hunter no doubt. No one wanted to tarnish the solemn occasion by being difficult, petty or juvenile about where he or she sat or when they spoke. It seemed in many cases that just being there was enough. Even the Kabarans, with their notorious stubborn streaks were easy to get along with.

Her biggest problem, ironically enough, came from the place that she had least expected: Admiral Rick Hunter. She nearly had a coronary when she was told that Admiral Hunter had made his own plans for the service. Facing him down in his quarters was the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life, and it would probably be the only time in her military career that she would win an argument with an Admiral. He wanted a small, quiet service, and despite her insistence that a state funeral was what was required, she understood his feelings. Still, where would that kind of service leave the many people who had revered Lisa Hunter, who had joined the service because of her and for her? In other words, where would it leave people like Natalie Kingsley? She had been shocked and devastated by the news of Admiral Hunter's death, even though she had only met her once. Then again, that was all it took to become enchanted by Lisa Hunter. Besides her military record and legendary escapades, Lisa Hunter was a caring and intelligent woman, and that one meeting was all it took to see it.

Kingsley had begun planning the service on paper almost immediately after the initial shock of the shuttle explosion wore off, and in hindsight she was glad she did. She had the preliminary schedule nearly completed when the calls started coming in from almost everywhere in the known worlds enquiring about the timing of the service, and requesting room for representatives and that sort of thing. She had been so busy with the preparations she hadn't even been able to come to grips with her own feelings. It would have to wait until the service was over.

Kingsley glanced at her watch and noticed that the service was scheduled to begin in an hour, more than enough time for her to go home, freshen up and get into her dress uniform. She scanned the room one more time, nodded in satisfaction and headed out the main doors of the observation deck. Once outside, she turned to the security officers guarding the doors and said, "Everything is ready. No one enters this room until 1300 hours. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am", came the simultaneous replies of the two guards.

Kingsley nodded and headed off to her quarters, extremely proud of the work she had done, and satisfied that Lisa Hunter would be touched by her tribute.

----------------------------------

Angie looked herself over in the mirror. _"The last time I wore my dress uniform was on a trip with Admiral Hunter"_, she thought with a sense of morbid irony.

A knock sounded on her door, and when Angie opened the door the first thing out of Sue Graham's mouth was an incredulous, "You're going?"

"Yes", was Angie's simple response, and after she delivered it she turned around and walked back into her quarters.

Sue held back the scream of frustration that wanted to escape her lungs and followed Angie inside, closing the door behind her.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Angie", said Sue carefully.

"I have to go, Sue", replied Angela. "Dr. Grant asked me on behalf of Admiral Hunter to be there." Angie turned to regard her friend. _"She thinks I'm going to lose it and spill the beans to everyone"_, she thought scornfully as she sat down on the couch.

"And it's not what you're thinking, Angie", said Sue, easily reading the look on Angie's face. "I'm thinking about your feelings. I know you've been feeling bad about what we did." She took a couple of steps towards the couch. Quietly she added, "There are going to be a lot of emotional things happening at the service, Angie. Emotions will be running very high. They will get to you."

Angie looked at Sue with a mixture of appreciation and suspicion. A part of Angie heard the friend she loved like a sister saying that Sue was genuinely concerned about her well-being. Another part of her heard the mastermind of a wicked plot trying to do everything she could to keep that plot from being discovered. _"Will the real Sue Graham step forward?"_, Angie said to herself.

As if in response to Angie's unspoken question, Sue sat down next to Angie and put her left arm around Angie's shoulder. Angie didn't move as Sue said, "I know you're hurting Angie, and I'm so sorry for that. I never meant for anything to hurt you, and I don't want to see you get hurt more by going to the service."

Slowly, very slowly, Angie moved her right hand up to hold Sue's left hand. Sue gave Angie a gentle squeeze and whispered, "It's going to get better, Angie, I promise. Have I ever steered you down the wrong path before?"

"No", whispered Angie.

Sue smiled and said, "And I never will…trust me."

Sue stood up and headed for the door. "I'll go and put on my dress uniform and be back here in ten minutes. We can go together."

Before Angie could say anything Graham was gone. _"Trust me"_, Angie repeated to herself, and as the words echoed in her mind, Angie promised herself that she always watch her back around Sue Graham.

----------------------------------

As Sue headed to her quarters at a quick march, she noticed with some dismay that her lip had begun to throb again. It had been relatively pain free for the previous day or two, but suddenly, as if to remind her that it was still there it began to ache.

She had no desire or inclination to go to the service. In fact she would rather be just about anywhere than there listening to the emotional gush that was bound to happen over a woman she hated so much. Whatever her personal feelings on the matter, she had to go and be there for Angie. She had to be there to support Angie through what Graham knew was going to be a hard time for her.

As she went into her quarters and started putting on her uniform, she admitted to herself, _"I have to go to make sure she don't fall apart and tell Rick that his wife is still alive."_

On the upside though, it had been relatively quiet on the investigation front. Despite Woods' constant prodding, the engineers were taking longer than anticipated in doing their preliminary work. While it aggravated Woods, it gave her some breathing room.

She gave herself a once over in the mirror and left her quarters. Ten minutes after leaving Angie's quarters, she returned to go with Angie to the service. As the two women walked towards the observation deck, Graham thought to herself, _"Rick always looks so good in his dress uniform…"_

----------------------------------

Jean watched in quiet amazement as Roy sat on Miriya's lap and talked to her. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but from the frequent bursts of laughter and smiles on their faces, it was all good.

There was still half an hour left until the service. Max was talking with Vince in the kitchen. Jean was seated at the table with Rick, who had just quietly told her what Roy had said to Miriya about seeing Lisa when he wanted to.

"He's a very bright boy", Jean whispered to Rick. "He's dealing with the loss of his mother better than a lot of children would, and he seems to know what works for him. That's a very good thing."

Without taking his eyes off his son Rick replied, "I never would have guessed he would be so calm about everything. I could sure take some lessons from him."

Jean smiled and said, "I think we all could. He certainly seems to have helped Miriya."

"She's had him up on her lap like that for over two hours, just talking and laughing", Rick informed her. "The only time he got down was to get a drink. Then he went back over and got back up there."

"He amazes me every day, Jean." Rick looked to Jean and smiled peacefully. "I don't even have to be around him for it to happen. I could just be talking to him over a comm. channel and he'll say something, or he'll have a certain look that just amazes me." He laughed a little and said as though he had just recognized it himself, "Just like Lisa used to surprise and amaze me every day."

Rick felt a wave of sorrow begin to fall over him, and as he closed his eyes he felt Jean's hand reach over to hold his on the table. He gently squeezed her hand in appreciation, and when he looked at her he saw support and strength in her eyes. The wave of emotion dissipated and Rick whispered, "I just wish she could see him, Jean."

"I know, Rick…I know."

Rick pushed the thought out of his mind, released Jean's hand and stood up. "All right everyone, we should soon head upstairs before Kingsley sends a security detail to find us." As Max and Vince walked out of the kitchen, Rick made his way into the living room. He noticed that Roy stayed in Miriya's lap…in fact he seemed to be holding onto her tighter than before.

He waited for everyone to get into the living room, and when that was done he began. "Before we go, I just wanted to say something to you guys." Rick took a deep breath and continued, moving his eyes from friend to friend as he spoke. "I've known all of you for a long time, and over that time, you've become more than just friends to us. You've become family to Lisa, Roy and me." He paused for a second to find the proper words to express his feelings without upsetting Roy. "I just wanted to say that…without all of you, these last few days would have been unbearable. I will never…never…be able to tell you how much you've helped us, or just how much you mean to us."

Rick looked to the photos of Lisa on the wall and said, "I will never be able to thank you enough." When he looked down, he saw Roy was still cuddled into Miriya's neck; Miriya was struggling to keep the tears in her eyes from falling; Jean never bothered to try to stop the tears and was letting them flow without inhibition; and Vince had his arm around his wife, trying himself to not to succumb to emotion of the moment. Finally Rick's eyes fell to the man who had been more than a brother to him for so very long, and saw in his eyes the comprehension of what it was that Rick was trying to say.

Max stood up slowly and was about to say something, but a knock on the door stopped him.

When Rick opened the door, Lieutenant Commander Kingsley saluted him and said with somber military precision, "Admiral Hunter, sir. It is time, sir. I will escort you to the service at your convenience, sir." Her message delivered, Kingsley stepped back to the wall of the corridor and adopted a relaxed stance with her hands clasped behind her back and waited.

Rick took a moment to regard Kingsley. She was tall and slender, with shoulder length blond hair that waved furiously the last time he saw her. Indeed, her hair wasn't the only thing that was animated during their heated discussion over Lisa's service. That Kingsley was very passionate in her argument for a big service, and Rick could remember at least once when she waved her fist at him. Now however, Kingsley was embodiment of military solemnity…quiet and subdued. He liked the other Kingsley better. "Thank you, Commander." Rick turned to look at his friends and his son. They all stood up, and Miriya brought Roy over to Rick.

Rick looked at Miriya, and saw for the first time since they discussed Lisa's memorial service a calm look in her eyes…a look of peace. Rick thought for a moment. "Roy", he said softly, "would you like to stay up with Auntie Miri?"

Roy lifted his head from Miriya's shoulder. "Yes, Daddy."

Miriya looked to Rick, asking with a look if he was sure about it. _"If it makes them feel better…"_ Rick found Miriya's eyes and nodded, adding a hint of a smile to his lips for her benefit. She mouthed a thank you to Rick and hugged the boy to her as she walked past him to the door. Rick then looked into the eyes of Vince, Jean and finally Max, finding strength, support and love of family.

Max nodded to Rick, who then nodded himself. He turned to face Kingsley who had remained silent and stoic throughout the exchange. "Commander", he said quietly. "Lead the way."

Kingsley came to attention. "Yes, sir." She turned and headed slowly down the corridor, followed by Jean, Vince, Miriya and Roy and then Max.

Rick turned to close the door, and as he took the handle in his hand he hesitated and looked again at the assortment of pictures on the wall. He found his favorite photo of Lisa, taken during their first Christmas together in Monument. Before the memories of that joyous time flooded his mind, he closed the door and went to catch up to Kingsley…to say good-bye to Lisa.


	23. Chapter 23

K71- Thanks K. I'm not sure if you'll need tissues for this, but I tried. It's been my experience that kids are a lot smarter than we give them credit for...they have something.

Sphersian- Thanks for all your kind words, and for the statue idea which is in this chapter. It was a very nice idea and thanks for letting me use it. Sorry about the hat trick, but they changed the goalie and he stood on his head for the rest of the game. :)

Bill, Carla and Rebel- Thank you.

Dax- All I can say is Thanks. ;)

Gppr- Thanks GP. I always thought Rick and Lisa belonged together, so I think they would have that special bond. That's the romantic in me I guess. As for Roy, like I said above, kids have that something that gives them strength that adults don't seem to have, for the most part.

Adena- Thank you, as always, for keeping me on the straight and narrow, especially at this busy time of year. You're the greatest.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Lisa!"

Lisa rolled over onto her side, using her left arm to prop her up on the thermal blanket. _"Max?"_, she asked herself, and for a moment she thought she was hearing things.

"Lisa…can you hear me?"

Hope flared in Lisa's heart. She stood up quickly as she saw a light bouncing off the cave walls and called out eagerly, "Max!"

A moment later Max shone a light towards her when he was in sight and called excitedly, "Lisa!"

Lisa watched with sheer joy as her friend ran to her. When he reached her she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck and squeeze him. "Oh Max…I thought I'd never…"

"Don't worry, Lisa", he interrupted. He released her, flashed her a smile and bent down to work on the shackle that still kept her confined to the cave. As he worked he said, "We'll have you out of here before you can say blazing battloids."

She felt the pressure ease on her ankle as the shackle let go. She hugged Max around his neck again when he stood up and whispered tearfully, "Thank you, Max. How did you know…"

He gave her a small squeeze and replied, "You're welcome, Lisa, and there will be time for all of that later." He released her and put his left arm around her shoulders. "Now let's get you home."

She cried freely as he led her out of the prison that the cave had become. He kept his arm around her shoulders as he guided her to the shuttle he had waiting, almost in the exact spot that he had landed the shuttle when they rescued Rick and Sue Graham during the MED. Lisa only barely took notice to the dozen or more armed security officers that had taken up positions along their route.

A few feet from the shuttle Max called out, "Here we come, Jean!"

Jean poked her head out the shuttle door and Lisa saw a mile wide smile form on her friend's lips. When they reached the shuttle Jean stepped outside and hugged Lisa. Lisa was just about to tell Jean how good it was to see her when a red Alpha roared overhead. Lisa watched as Miriya flew on, and before she could say anything, Jean pulled her inside and placed her gently in a seat. Max smiled at Lisa before going into the cockpit.

"It's damn good to see you, Admiral", said Jean still smiling.

Lisa laughed as the tears fell and replied, "Not as good as it is for me to see you, Doctor." The security guards were beginning to file into the shuttle, moving to the back of the craft.

Jean began looking over Lisa looking for any signs of injury. "How are you feeling, Lisa? Any wounds…cuts, scrapes…anything?"

"No, Jean. All things considered I feel fine…and very happy. No injuries at all." Lisa sat back and let her head lay against the headrest.

As the thrum of the engines increased indicating a power up, Jean handed Lisa a bottle of water.

"Drink this slowly." Jean sat down next to Lisa and did up her safety harness.

Lisa looked to Jean. "Jean", she said softly, "how's Rick?" Lisa saw a flicker of something dark in Jean's eyes. It was only there for an instant though, and Lisa wasn't totally sure if she saw it or imagined it.

"He's…he's okay, Lisa." She smiled and repeated, "He's okay."

Lisa didn't like the sound of that. "Jean…"

"Roy misses you terribly", interrupted Jean. "I can't wait to see his face when he sees you."

Lisa laughed again as the shuttle lifted off the moon. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She imagined walking into her quarters and jumping into her husband's arms and smothering him in kisses. Then she imagined the excitement that she would undoubtedly see in the eyes if her son. Images of Rick and Roy flashed through her mind.

Before Lisa knew it Max was announcing over the speakers that they were approaching the SDF-3. Lisa could feel her heart begin to race in anticipation of being home, seeing Rick again and being in his protective embrace.

Lisa felt the shuttle lurch forward as it gently impacted the hangar deck, and as soon as Max gave the all clear she was up and to the door which had opened automatically.

"Lisa", said Jean warily, "take it easy. There's something…"

"Tell me later, Jean", called Lisa as she jumped through the door. Lisa took off in a sprint towards her quarters. She could hear Max and Jean running behind her, though she never looked back to confirm it. Finally she reached her destination and without hesitation she threw the door open and rushed inside, only to confront a sight that made her blood boil.

Rocking in a rocking chair in her living room was a woman with long black hair. The woman was back on to Lisa, but there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that the woman in the rocking chair was Sue Graham.

Lisa's hands clenched into iron fists, ready to strike at the person who had so deeply wronged her and those she loved. Lisa walked slowly around the rocking chair, letting the anger build to the point where it was almost all that she felt.

Lisa drew her hand back, ready to strike when her breath caught in her throat. Her arm fell to her side and she took a step back at the sight before her. Lisa brought her hand to her mouth and began to shake her head.

"_It's impossible!"_, she shouted to herself. _"I wasn't gone that long! Was I? It's not possible…it just isn't…no…"_

Sue Graham sat in the chair, humming a lullaby to the baby she held to her right breast. After a moment Graham looked to Lisa and slowly, oh so slowly her lips formed a bone-chilling smile.

"Sue", came a familiar voice. "Do you need a blanket?"

Lisa turned to see Rick walk out of the bedroom carrying a blanket, which he brought to Sue.

As he covered Sue and the child, Sue said to him, "We have company, darling."

"They can wait", he said lovingly. "You have my complete and undivided attention…"

Lisa opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but she couldn't say a word. She tried to go to him but her legs failed to lift off the deck. She was still trying when her husband leaned down to kiss Sue on her venomous lips…

…And Lisa woke up, heart racing and nauseous. She scrambled upright with her legs pushing her away from the apparition of Sue Graham holding Rick's child until her back hit solidly against the rock wall of the cave. The pain caused by the collision brought her sharply to reality. She remembered where she was and how she got there. Even as the relief washed over her it was immediately engulfed by the sadness and hopelessness that her imprisonment forced upon her.

She brought her hands up to her face in a vain attempt to stem her tears.

It had been the worst nightmare yet. She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and tried to erase that sickening image from her mind, but she couldn't. Long, agonizing minutes slipped by and Lisa took several deep breaths as she forced herself to calm down. She began to remember the time when it was her holding a baby to her chest in their quarters. As the image of Graham and her baby began to fade, to be replaced by the image of her and Roy, she could feel her heartbeat finally slow down.

She basked in the memory of her and Rick. The warmth of the memory was like a warm embrace that enveloped her, giving her strength. When enough of that strength returned to her, so did her determination to get through this little hell that Sue Graham sent her to and back to those she loved.

----------------------------------

The ship's observation deck, a massive room usually reserved for relaxation, contemplation and just looking at the stars, became the focal point for the Robotech Expeditionary Force's final good-bye to Admiral Lisa Hunter. The stage had been set up in front of the room's gigantic observation port, and after much discussion and mind changing among the officers in charge of the service, the stage was converted into a shrine for Lisa. The location for the service, the observation deck with its view into space became meaningful in a number of ways. One, Lisa Hunter had given her life to working on and commanding space vessels. Two, she died in space. And three, the audience would be able to see the salute to Admiral Hunter by the Alpha squadrons.

In the center of the stage stood a one and a half meter by one and a half meter Tirolian marble pedestal, the top of which was covered by a black velvet sheet upon which certain items would be laid during the ceremony. Someone had worked overtime to carve the image of the chief's decal, the star/heart/H image, into the base of the pedestal, and while it was done in a hurry, the work was exemplary and pristine.

To the left of the pedestal, Lisa's official military portrait rested on an easel. In the photo she looked every bit the serious Admiral. Her hair was up in a bun, only the barest glimpse of a smile graced her beautiful lips and her eyes were narrowed. To those that knew her best however, Lisa's true caring and happy nature could be seen in her shining emerald eyes, and only Rick and the photographer knew that just after the photo was taken she had burst out laughing because Rick had been making funny faces at her, trying to get her to break down in hysterics.

To the right of the pedestal, on another easel was a family portrait. In that photo, even a stranger could see the love between Rick and Lisa, as well as their love for their son. Neither Rick nor Lisa wore their uniforms, opting for civilian clothes. Rick wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and red tie and Roy looked adorable in a diminutive replica of his father's suit. Lisa wore an elegant cream colored, spaghetti strap dress, with a neckline that went just low enough to drive Rick insane, but managed to give everyone else a conservative feeling, especially when her long brown hair hung down around the front of her shoulders, as it did in the picture. They stood side by side with Roy in front and in the middle of them. Rick had his left arm around Lisa's shoulder, and Lisa had her right arm around his waist. On Roy's shoulders they rested their free hands: Rick's right hand on his right shoulder, and Lisa's left hand on his left shoulder. They all had the most heart-warming smiles, and it was plain for all to see that Roy was born of the two of them. Engineers installed spotlights above the stage, aiming them downward onto the area where Lisa's memorial was set up. A single spotlight illuminated each portrait, while another high-powered spotlight illuminated the pedestal. When the lights were on, a majestic aura permeated the area.

A lectern stood on the stage at the far right next to the stairs, as not to intrude on the ambience the memorial intended to create. Its lighting came from a smaller spotlight recently installed into the ceiling. The front and side edges of the stage were draped in the same black velvet that covered the top surface of the pedestal, and several crewmen were tasked with keeping the velvet absolutely spotless up until the service was to begin. On the lectern was the insignia of the REF, and underneath it was the coat of arms of Admiral Hunter's command: the SDF-3. On the deck to the right of the stage was the flag of the REF on a stand-alone flagpole. On the other side of the stage stood an identical flagpole holding a flag of the government that was in charge when the REF left Earth, the United Earth Government.

The couches, lounge chairs and tables usually found on the observation deck for the use of the crew were gone…removed to make way for the hundreds of chairs required for the large number of expected guests. Representatives from the Sentinel worlds, Tirol and a number of other systems where the REF had done humanitarian work were coming to pay their respects. Then of course there were representatives from the Council, each REF base, squadron, unit and department, crewmembers and of course, family and friends.

Rows and rows and rows of chairs filled the deck, with enough space on either side of the deck for one person to walk, and a passage from the main entrance through the middle of the sea of chairs leading up to the stage, wide enough for three people to walk through side by side.

It was in one of these aisle seats in the right column near the back that Lieutenant Angela Marques had seated herself. Sue sat beside her on her right, shifting uncomfortably in her seat every few minutes. Marques took a sidelong glance at Graham. It was easy for anyone who knew Graham to see that she was edgy, especially after her lip started to bleed again on the way to the observation deck. It wasn't much, but it seemed to royally irritate Graham.

"_Maybe I should have tried to keep her away from here"_, Angie thought with a sense of irony, _"instead of her trying to keep me away."_

Angie began to look around the room. It had filled up considerably since they had arrived. In fact as far as she could tell the only seats left vacant were the one's reserved for Admiral Hunter's family up in the front row of her column of seats. She noticed the Karbarrans, the Garudans, the Spherisians, the Haydonites and the Praxians all sent high-level delegations, as did the Tirolians. Near the front in the left hand column of seats Angie could see the REF brass: Reinhardt, Forsythe, the base commanders from Tirol and numerous department heads and ship commanders. It struck her that it was odd to see so many dignitaries and command staffers so mixed together with, for lack of a better term, ordinary crewmembers. _"Of course", _realized Angie, _"she didn't make that distinction. This is most definitely how she would want it."_ She was surprised not to find the Grants or the Sterlings, but after a few moments she realized that they would be coming with Admiral Hunter and his son.

Her eyes reluctantly came to study the memorial on the stage. She noticed the portraits when she first walked in, but she hadn't had the nerve to actually look at them carefully. Now she had to…there was nothing else to look at and as her eyes moved in the direction of the first portrait her stomach began to protest. She studied Lisa's official portrait and saw the commanding presence she brought with her wherever she went, the presence that automatically made people respect her. At least that was the way it was with Angie. The protest in her stomach intensified dramatically as her focus shifted over to the other portrait on the stage: The family portrait. Angie could see the happiness in Lisa's eyes and smile as she stood next to her family. Angie shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she imagined Lisa now, chained to the wall of the cave…so far away from those she so obviously loved. Angie's stomach began to churn as she looked at the wonderful smile on the face of the little boy next to her. _"You poor little man"_, she thought sadly. _"I'm so sorry."_ She looked at Rick in the picture and Angie almost cried. _"He looks so happy and…alive"_, she thought. _"Not like when I saw him in his quarters." _Finally Angie studied the marble pedestal. Angie really liked the chief's design, and she heard that it might become the coat of arms for the first Shadow fighter squadron.

Angie used the palms of her hands to rub the tears from her eyes before Sue noticed. As she rubbed them, Lady Macbeth's cry rang out in her mind, _"Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" _When she finished the thought she lowered her hands to her lap and asked herself, _"I'm just like her aren't I? I'll never be able to wipe the blood and guilt away, will I?"_

Angie buried those thoughts, glanced at her watch and saw that it was time for the service to start. She took another sidelong glance at Graham when she heard Sue sigh. Graham had in her hands a blood stained tissue. Angie looked upward and saw that the bleeding hadn't eased up at all.

She leaned over and whispered, "You're going to have to go and get that lip looked at, Sue. There may be some kind of infection that's keeping it from healing."

It was then that the doors opened. Rick Hunter walked in and everyone's head turned towards him.

----------------------------------

When Sue had walked into the observation deck she too noticed the stage and the memorial on it. Unlike Angie however, she studied the portraits immediately. She saw the smugness of Lisa Hunter in the picture, and it made Sue despise Lisa more than she thought was possible. Then she looked at the family picture. Rick looked so handsome. _"Rick and I should have a family, as she noticed the striking similarities between Lisa and Roy. We should have a son, not him and her."_ Then her eyes found that damned engraving on the pedestal and her stomach tightened up into one big knot.

She glanced around the deck. _"Everyone who's anyone is here"_, she thought disdainfully as she noticed the numerous dignitaries and REF brass. _"REF, Sentinels, Tirolians…"_, she thought."_Everyone wants to say good-bye to the old woman." _She took a moment to observe Reinhardt as he spoke quietly to Forsythe. A moment later her heart skipped a beat when she looked farther up the column and saw Major Woods chatting softly with Captain Michaels from Base Alpha. She scrutinized their actions and facial features. They were smiling and they looked relaxed. She decided they weren't talking about work, and she breathed a small sigh of relief.

She felt her lip get moist again and she cursed to herself. _"Damn this lip of mine anyway!" _She thought that it had turned the corner and begun to heal, but on the way to the service it began to bleed…again, apparently for no particular reason. She used the tissue she had taken from one of the many boxes of tissues that had been laid out around the deck to wipe the blood from her aching lip. Evidently, someone thought there would be a fair of tears shed within the next little while.

She lowered the tissue to her lap, realizing that she would soon need another one... it already had a dozen little stains on it. She looked to her watch and then folded her hands together on her lap, and she couldn't stifle the sigh that worked up to her mouth.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Angie look over and heard her say, "You're going to have to go and get that lip looked at, Sue. There may be some kind of infection that's keeping it from healing."

Sue was about to say that Angie was being silly, but she never had the chance as everyone's attention shifted towards the door…and the man she loved enough to kill for.

----------------------------------

Rick remotely noticed the guards at the doors of the observation deck come to attention as they approached. He never even had the presence of mind to acknowledge them, but Max, always on the ball and ready to act, saluted the guards and told them to stand down.

Kingsley got to the doors first. She turned and faced him, and for the first time Rick noticed that her eyes were watery and dark from the emotional stress placed on her.

"Are you ready, sir?", she asked quietly, her voice full of compassion and sympathy.

Rick opened his mouth to speak, but he wasn't sure what to say. He was anything but ready for this. He had butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, but they weren't the almost pleasant and nervous butterflies he had the day he got married. No…these were the butterflies the size of bats he felt whenever something terrible was about to happen. He never thought the day would come when he would be saying good-bye to the woman who had been with him through so much, that he loved so deeply. It didn't help matters that he could feel her so strongly. It didn't help that whenever he closed his eyes he saw her; whenever he walked into a room he felt her; whenever he let his mind wander he heard her; and whenever he slept he dreamt of her. It felt as though she was still with him, like she could be waiting for him on the other side of the door ready to ask what all the fuss was about.

"Daddy." The way Roy said the simple word calmed Rick gave and him some sense of purpose. Roy's voice was reassuring to Rick and when he looked to his son, still up in Miriya's protective embrace, Roy nodded his head once. Rick smiled, taking the strength he needed from the simple and confident gesture from his son. It was the type of thing Lisa would do. It was the type of thing she had done a dozen times before in meetings where she just looked at him and gave him the push he needed to get through it.

He turned back to Kingsley. "Let's go, Commander", he said a little more loudly than he had intended. He cleared his throat and said more quietly, "Proceed, Commander."

"Aye, sir." Kingsley's eyes were sad and her voice was full of sympathy for Rick.

Rick watched as Kingsley took a deep breath and opened the doors. He wasn't sure what to expect from inside the observation deck, but he wasn't expecting to see hundreds of heads turn to him as he stepped up to the door. _"It's a packed house, Lisa"_, he thought. Jean took Rick's arm, which he appreciated immensely, and led by Commander Kingsley they began the walk up to their seats.

Rick walked slowly, with purposefully deliberate steps, lest he stumble from the flood of sadness that kept surging farther into his heart with each and every step. As he tried to gulp down the lump in his throat, Jean gave Rick's arm a gentle yet supportive squeeze. He didn't look to her. He couldn't. His eyes had become glued to Lisa's portrait on the stage in front of him. He slowed his pace without even realizing it; he was so entranced with the picture. He had seen it before, of course. He was there when it had been taken. _"No way would she laugh until the picture was taken"_, he remembered with a twinge of laughter.

He tore his eyes from the portrait, only to have them land on their family picture. Only for Jean gently pulling him along he would have stopped, and quite possibly fallen to his knees. It had been such a happy day when that picture had been taken, and on such a sad and dreadful day it seemed out of place. _"She wore that dress just to tease me"_, he recalled. _"She looked so damn good in it."_ He felt the tear leave his left eye and drift ever so slowly down his cheek.

Finally…mercifully…they arrived at their seats at the front of the right hand column. Vince sat in the aisle seat, followed by Jean, Rick, Miriya and Roy and finally Max. Rick looked over to check on Roy, who was sitting up on Miriya's lap, facing him.

Before Rick could ask Roy whispered, "I'm okay, Daddy."

"_I wish I could say the same thing, Roy"_, thought Rick, as he managed a little smile for his son. Miriya looked to Rick and he could easily see that her eyes were moist, as were his own. He looked to his left at Jean. She still had her arm through his and she cuddled into his shoulder. Vince held her free hand, and their clasped hands rested on Jean's lap.

When Kingsley saw that her charges were settled she stood in front of Rick, saluted and then turned to walk up onto the stage, making her way to the podium.

"Ladies and gentle..." Kingsley's voice cracked and she brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed softly. "Ladies and gentlemen. My name is Lieutenant Commander Natalie Kingsley and I am the chief protocol officer of the SDF-3. It is my solemn duty and honor to guide you through the order of proceedings for the memorial service of Admiral Lisa Hunter." Kingsley looked down to the papers she had in front of her and tried to calm the butterflies that were running a race inside her stomach. She looked up and said, "Would everyone please stand as the honor guard enters the room."

Everyone obeyed, even Miriya as she still held Roy in her arms.

When the doors of the observation deck opened, one of Kingsley's people next to the door played a boson's whistle to call everyone's attention to the door. As the whistle sounded three REF officers in full dress uniforms began a slow walk towards the stage. The three officers walked side by side by side down the walkway. With no casket such as would normally be found at a funeral the three officers, a male in the middle and one female on either side, escorted only a pillow.

The pillow itself was the length of a body pillow, with the female officers holding one of the edges each and the male officer holding the pillow in its center. It had to be that size to carry its abundant and precious cargo.

The pillow's shell was made of black velvet with gold colored trim around the edges. On the pillow, sat the numerous medals, bars and ribbons of Admiral Lisa Hunter. From edge to edge the pillow was covered with Lisa's decorations to the point that the black velvet was barely visible. Dozens of decorations, RDF service medals, Medals of Valor, Medals of Honor, Purple Hearts, REF service medals and many more.

The eyes of many REF personnel bulged in surprise and appreciation as the pillow bearers slowly passed them. Several even saluted. All were teary eyed…with at least one exception. Sue Graham didn't cry or salute. She used all of her will power to keep from leaving.

"_That's what Kingsley wanted them for"_, thought Rick, referring to Lisa's medals as the honor guard passed him. He wasn't sure about giving them to her when she had asked for them, especially when she wouldn't tell him why she wanted them. He was even more worried about the whole thing when he looked up on the stage and couldn't see the medals anywhere. _"Lisa would have liked that."_

He watched as the honor guard slowly walked up the steps, and with careful precision and utmost care placed the pillow onto the pedestal. Once the pillow was secure, the three officers took a single step back, saluted, then walked off the stage to take their seats at the end of the same row that Rick sat in.

Kingsley stepped back up to the podium. "Please be seated." After everyone retook their seats she continued. "I would like to call on General Reinhardt to say a few words on behalf of the REF. General?"

Reinhardt left his seat and walked up onto the stage. After taking his place behind the podium he looked down to Rick and began. "Rick, Roy, friends and comrades. I consider this one of the saddest duties I have ever had to perform in my life, if not the saddest. Now, everyone here knows the basic facts of Lisa's life, and if you don't you can find them neatly catalogued in her REF official bio. I would like to share with you some of my personal dealings with Lisa instead. I have known Lisa Hunter for as long as I can remember, since she was a teenager just entering the academy and I was in my final year. She easily impressed anyone who met her with her compassion, her focus, her determination and her intelligence, and that was certainly the case with me. From our first meeting in her first Diplomatic Protocol class, I was amazed at her knowledge and the confident way in which she carried herself. If she was right, she fought to prove it. If she was wrong, though it happened infrequently, she admitted it." Reinhardt paused for a moment and his eyes scanned the crowd. "She graduated at the top of her class, and the focus she had in her academy days followed her onto the SDF-1. I heard Henry Gloval say on more than one occasion that he would not have been able to accomplish all the things that he did without her."

Reinhardt cleared his throat and continued. "When Admiral Gloval came to the General Staff with his idea for the Expeditionary mission, there was only one name on his list to command it: Lisa Hayes. For those of you who didn't know Admiral Gloval, it was an indication that he would not accept anyone else, and everyone on the General Staff knew it, not that there needed to be much convincing. We had all worked closely with Lisa. She was the logical choice, and her work over the years with the REF has more than demonstrated that Henry Gloval's list of one was right on the money."

Reinhardt's face became soft and a trace of a smile graced his lips. "I still remember when Captain Lisa Hayes came to me not long after the destruction of the SDF-1 and the SDF-2, demanding that the Expeditionary mission go ahead, that it was essential to the survival of the human race…and when I say demanding, that's a mild way to put it." Reinhardt waited for the small spatter of laughter to fade. "She spoke logically and eloquently about the need for the mission, adding scenarios and arguments that even Henry hadn't thought of. She was determined to have the mission proceed and she even managed to convince those that had originally thought the mission might not have been worth it. She seemed to have found a new sense of purpose despite the grief she was experiencing."

"Perhaps the one attribute of Lisa Hunter that best shows why she was the best person for this job was her humility. In all my years around her, I never once heard her take credit for anything that had been accomplished. Not even the Daedalus Maneuver, which is known by all to have been her idea. With Lisa, everything was a team effort. She always sought opinions when time permitted, and whether or not she acted on those suggestions she declared it a team effort. I heard her say once that Lisa Hunter never won the war and it wasn't Lisa Hunter that defeated the Regent. It was the team she was fortunate enough and very proud to be a part of. The only exception to that was when there were problems. Like a true leader, when something didn't work she took the blame. The responsibility was hers and hers alone. She always managed to find that balance between what almost always seemed like impossible opposing forces."

"I…Lisa Hunter was a professional soldier, a very wonderful person and a true friend. We are all diminished by her loss." Reinhardt bowed his head for a moment and whispered, "I will miss you very much, my dear friend."

He lifted his head and walked down off the stage. As he walked towards his seat he stopped in front of the stage in front of the pedestal. He straightened up and saluted. When he lowered his arm he turned and went back to where Rick was sitting.

Reinhardt held out his hand. Rick looked the offered hand, his mind in such a jumble of intense emotions that for a moment he didn't realize what Reinhardt was doing. When it finally clicked inside his mind Rick took Reinhardt's hand appreciatively.

"I don't have the words to tell you how sorry I am, Rick", said the elder man sadly. He shook his head slowly and lowered his eyes to the deck. "I…I just…don't."

"Thank you", was all that Rick could manage.

After a moment, Reinhardt released Rick's hand and walked back to his seat and sat down, obviously very shaken.

Kingsley walked back up to the lectern and said softly into the microphone, "Thank you, General Reinhardt. Ladies and gentlemen, Lieutenant Darren Ross and his bagpipes will play one of Admiral Lisa Hunter's favorites, 'Amazing Grace.'"

Off to the left of the stage stood Lieutenant Ross, holding in his arms the biggest set of bagpipes Rick had ever seen. He thought they made the most ungodly of sounds, and it always amazed him the amount of pleasure that Lisa took in his discomfort when they were played around him. Those situations were made even more absurd by the fact that Lisa loved them so much, and as Kingsley said, 'Amazing Grace' was her favorite. _"I'd listen to it every day if it meant you could come back to me, Lisa"_, he thought sadly.

Rick folded his hands together on his lap and closed his eyes as Ross began the song. As the melancholy notes washed through his soul, Rick thought of Lisa. He remembered the first time he found out that she loved the bagpipes, when she dragged him almost kicking and screaming to a Scottish festival in New Macross during one of his many Minmei depression cycles. She did her very best to get him out of the depressing funk he was in. She succeeded, as she almost always did, this particular time by getting him to try to play the pipes. He resisted, which only made her try harder to get him to do it. She never got tired of using the superior officer routine and she finally ordered him to try them. He never got tired of playing the rebel and he threatened to resign. They both knew he didn't mean it, and after a few moments of her looking at him like he was a spoiled child he caved in and tried to play the bagpipes. He blew into the blowpipe and he squeezed bag when it filled with air, and the musical laughter that came from her beautiful lips at the squeals he produced made him laugh as well…and Minmei was forgotten.

Remembering that episode hurt Rick in a deep down place in his heart that he very rarely visited. He had come to terms with the fact that he had hurt Lisa a lot back then, when she had feelings for him and he was hung up on Minmei. Lisa told him many times that it was the past and that they should look to the future, and he tried his best to do just that. _"But that's the problem now, isn't it?"_, he thought. _"There is no more future, all I have is the past. How much time with you did I waste, Lisa, all because of a…because of an infatuation?"_ Rick shook his head at the thought. No matter how many times she told him it didn't matter and to forget about it, he couldn't. He couldn't forget and he couldn't forgive himself either, and now he would never be able to. How much time with Lisa did he just throw away, time that would now mean so much to him? The thought was beginning to overwhelm him when he felt Roy's tiny hand on his arm. When Rick opened his eyes and looked at his son, the tears that were in his eyes fell down his cheek.

"Mommy don't want you to be sad, Daddy", came Roy's innocent whisper.

Rick wiped his eyes and whispered back, "I know, buddy."

Roy turned his attention back to the piper just as he finished the last note.

Rick instead looked up to the lectern where Kingsley stood. As the last echoes of the music faded she said, "I would now like to call upon Queen Bela to say a few words on behalf of the Sentinel worlds."

Moments later Bela, Queen of the Praxians stood behind the podium. Actually, she towered above the podium. For a millisecond Rick laughed at the sight of Kingsley, who was tall by human standards, standing next to Bela, who was by human standards freakishly tall. Bela made Kingsley look terribly tiny.

Rick studied Bela for any changes in her appearance since their last meeting years earlier. _"She hasn't changed much"_, he thought with a hint of admiration. Her long fiery red hair still draped over her shoulders like a cloak and had only the smallest hint of gray in it, and her ice blue eyes still tended to pass through whomever she was looking at. Her age hadn't affected her musculature at all either and her medieval era attire gave him plenty of opportunity to see it. She was still in incredible shape, and Rick couldn't think of anyone aboard the SDF-3 who would be able to beat her in fight. The only person he could think of that may hold his own against her for a while was Vince, and that was only because of Vince's massive size.

Bela looked around the room, demanding with her regal gaze the attention of all, finally settling her gaze on the front row at Rick. "When we of the Sentinel worlds decided that someone should offer our condolences to Rick Hunter, it was I who requested the honor of speaking."

"We Praxians were not surprised by the fact that a woman commanded your forces like some of our Sentinel comrades. For us, that is a natural thing and I confess, at first we did not think that much of it. It was only after serving with humans for some time, learning about your culture and your ways, that we were able to understand just how much of an accomplishment it was for Lisa Hunter to command your forces. While her position as commander of your REF automatically demanded respect from us, our respect for her increased a thousand fold when we realized the difficulties she went through to achieve command. I have come to see, I have come to know, that Lisa Hunter was more than an Admiral…more than a commander. To Praxians, a Queen is a leader who leads her people through the good times and bad with dignity, wisdom and courage. She is a teacher, she is an advisor and she is a protector."

"Lisa Hunter taught us about the struggles of human females, and how they overcame many obstacles to take the places that they now occupy. She taught us of the value of relationships, which before were something that if thought about at all was only in passing and with some contempt. We saw how she gained strength from her relationship with Rick Hunter, and we have come to realize that we too can have that extra source of fortitude. For that we owe her much."

"I have seen many times with my own eyes the dignity with which she carried herself; the wisdom that she possessed and brought to every problem; and the courage with which she faced numerous daunting situations. Lisa Hunter may not have had the title of Queen, but she was one in every sense of the word as used by we Praxians. She was every bit the warrior a Praxian is expected to be, and she was as much a Queen as the Praxians have ever had."

"So much we respect her, that she is mourned on our world as a fallen warrior Queen. When a warrior Queen dies, it is a time for great sorrow, for when such a woman is lost a part of us all is lost as well. My Sentinel friends tell me that they all likewise respected Lisa Hunter. So I say now that if there is anything we can do to help our human friends, you need only to ask."

"I would like to say now a Praxian prayer that is meant to honor a fallen warrior Queen." Bela stopped and looked to Rick and added, "With your permission, Admiral."

Rick had been so moved by Bela's beautiful tribute to his wife that it took him a moment to answer.

After Rick nodded his assent Bela bowed her head and said solemnly, "Mother, we ask that you send your mighty steed to bring to your palace the warrior Queen whose death we mourn today. Call to your side Lisa Hunter, who is as worthy as any Queen who has come before her, and is as worthy as any Queen can ever be. Let it be known to all, my Mother, that she is with you and she will be waiting for us to join her when the time is right. I ask these things in your name, the Mother of all things."

Bela lifted her head and said, "This day has been declared a day of mourning on all Sentinel worlds. As a further tribute to Lisa Hunter, the Spherisians have created life size statues of Lisa Hunter out of the crystal of their world. These statues will be placed in the capitals of all our worlds in places of honor." The doors to the observation deck opened, and as the crowd of mourners turned to see what was happening, Bela continued. "We have brought with us the first of these statues to be created as a gift to Admiral Hunter."

Murmurs of appreciation rippled throughout the assembled people as two massive Karbarrans carefully carried the statue up to the stage. They placed the statue on the deck by the stage in front of the pedestal. Their task completed, they moved with a grace that should have been impossible for their size to the left side of the deck.

Rick looked at the statue. He couldn't speak, and after a few moments he thought he was losing his sight. It wasn't until he felt the tears dripping from his cheek onto his hand that he realized that the tears were what were interfering with his vision. The statue was a perfect representation of Lisa

She was standing up with her head held high, proudly, looking straight ahead. Her hands were clasped together in front of her and she had that drop dead gorgeous smile upon her face. Rick had seen the Spherisians do some wonderfully amazing things with crystal, but everything else paled in comparison to the statue. They nailed every tiny detail, from the way her hair fell around her shoulders all the way down to the wedding ring on her finger.

Suddenly Rick's view of the statue was interrupted. He looked up into the piercing blue eyes of Bela. He didn't even realize she had left the stage. Before he could get up, Bela knelt down in front of him, and because of her immense height her eyes were still above his. Bela reached in and took Rick's hands in hers and said softly, "She will never be forgotten. The Sentinels will not permit it." Her eyes showed unwavering resolve as she added, "I will not permit it."

With that she released his hands, stood up and walked back to her seat.

Rick was struggling to keep control over his emotions, and he was losing the fight until Kingsley's voice broke through the emotional fog and gave him something besides the grief to focus on.

"At this time I would ask you to turn your attention to the main view port, where the Alphas of the Skull and Eagle squadrons will perform a series of maneuvers in honor of Admiral Lisa Hunter." She stepped back and turned to the view port just as the twelve Alphas of the Skull screamed by the window from the left.

They circled out to a short distance from the ship, where they lined up in two rows of six, one row directly beneath the other. Out of nowhere shot the twelve Alphas of the Eagle squadron from the bottom of the window heading up. They too circled around, but they formed two side-by-side columns, which intersected the rows of the Skull in the center. Together the squadrons lined up to form a cross.

They held that position for ten seconds then broke out of formation. All the Alphas but two Skulls left the field of vision of the people on the observation deck. Those two Skulls switched configuration, going to Battloid mode and spacing themselves many meters apart, with their canons secured in their massive hands.

One by one, the rest of the Skull squadron came back into view, assuming a formation above their two fellows. They too were in Battloid mode, but instead of holding their canons in their hands, they held something else. Only the pilots and some higher ups knew that they were reflective shields mounted onto the forearms of the Battloids. When the Skulls were in their formation, the Alphas of the Eagle began coming into view.

They lined up with six Alphas on each side of the Skull formation. Their position put them around the middle of the Skull formation, and when they settled the Eagles were spaced an equal distance from each other. The first Eagle in each of the two rows pointed their canons above and towards the center of the Skull formation with every second Eagle after them doing the same. The second Eagle in each row, as well as the remaining Eagles pointed their canons below and towards the center of the Skull formation.

The two Skulls that had their canons in their hands moved next to the two bottom Skulls that had the shields. They pointed their canons at the shields and in perfect unison fired their weapons. From the two Skulls shot two silver pulses. The other Skulls had their shields positioned in such a way as to reflect the pulses towards each other, and what resulted was a spectacular display. The pulses bounced and bounced at a break neck pace, showing everyone in the ship the pattern of a gigantic silver star.

There were murmurs of awe and admiration at the sight of such precision flying and marksmanship. Even Rick was shaking his head at their accomplishment. They had so little time to work out the angles and practice…it shouldn't have been possible. _"Then again"_, he thought proudly, _"it is the Skull we're talking about."_

Suddenly the space around the silver star created by the Skull was lit up. The Eagle squadron had fired their weapons. The red beams from half of them went up and intersected above the Skull, while the other red beams went down and intersected beneath the Skull, forming a diamond shape around the Skull.

More exclamations of surprise and appreciation came from the people on the observation deck.

For three minutes the area in front of the observation deck window was ablaze with the silver star and diamond light show. When the Battloids finally stopped the show, they all moved closer to the window and lined up in four rows of six. When they achieved that formation, they all saluted in perfect unison and then moved upward and out of sight.

As they moved upward, Rick thought, _"I wish you could have seen that Lisa…you would have really loved it."_

----------------------------------

There was someone who didn't fully appreciate the amazing display. Sue Graham thought she was going to be sick. _"As if the speeches weren't enough dribble"_, she thought angrily. She looked up towards where Rick was sitting and said to herself, _"He never even wore his dress uniform."_

Next to her, the display elicited the opposite reaction. Angie Marques was deeply moved by both the display and the speeches of Bela and Reinhardt. The more she heard about Lisa Hunter the more she came to admire and respect her. She was very careful however, not to let that be known by her companion.

----------------------------------

Kingsley spoke softly into the microphone. "I would now call upon General Maximillian Sterling to say a few words. General."

Max walked up to the stage and slowly walked up the steps. When he got behind the podium he looked down and took a deep breath before speaking.

Rick couldn't help but smile. He knew Max really wasn't that comfortable speaking in front of large crowds at the best of times. Now, with his emotions running so high, Rick figured Max was wound up pretty tight.

Max looked up and began. "General Reinhardt and Queen Bela have already spoken about the leadership qualities of Lisa Hunter. They have spoken of her wisdom and her sense of duty. I would like to take a moment to talk about another side of Lisa. I have known Lisa for", he smiled as he thought about the amount of time, "for a very long time. The only person around now that I've known longer is Rick. Anyway, I could tell the very first time I met Lisa that she was a kind and warm soul, who would help you if she could. No matter how much someone ticked her off, she would always be there for them if they needed her."

Rick bowed his head and closed his eyes. He was the perfect example for what Max had just said, and he couldn't help but wonder if that had been Max's point.

"More than once over the years Lisa has helped me and my family, no matter what was going on with the ship or in her own life. She was that kind of special person who would come if you called, no questions asked and that was it." Max stopped and slipped his right index finger underneath his glasses to wipe away the buildup of water in his right eye.

"General Reinhardt spoke of Lisa after the destruction of the SDF-1 and how she seemed to have a newfound sense of purpose." Max smiled and nodded. "She did. While Admiral Gloval's mission was a part of it, the biggest reason for her determination, was her love for Rick. It was during that terrible time that they found each other. It was out of that very horrible time that something good was born, and the positive changes that came over the both of them were incredible to witness. It was like their love was something worth fighting for…worth doing anything to make sure it survived."

Max looked above everyone on front of him, fearing that if he made eye contact with anyone that he wouldn't be able to hold it together.

"Even after her promotion and the work was overwhelming, she still had time for those she loved, and I count myself very lucky to have been one of those fortunate people." Max pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose and took the opportunity to calm his breathing down. "It has been that way ever since as well. If you needed her and she didn't have the time to help, she would make the time."

"In the last few years, Lisa found another reason to fight the good fight: her son." Max looked down and smiled when Roy looked up at him and waved a little wave. "She loved her son so much, and would do anything to protect him."

"The same zeal that General Reinhardt described in Lisa's work ethic was the same passion that she loved her family and friends with. She was the warmest, kindest and most loving soul I have ever known bar none, and all you had to do to see it was look into her emerald green eyes. They always sparkled. What I will miss about Lisa Hunter is the wonderful way she could make people feel just by being around them. I will miss her smile, her laugh, and I will miss the love she brought into our lives. I will miss the way she made my best friend…how she made him walk on the clouds when she was around him. I …I will just miss everything about her." By the time he had finished, his last sentence was barely more than a whisper.

Max walked down the stairs and went straight to his seat without looking at Rick and Miriya. Once seated, he was forced by necessity to remove his glasses so he could wipe the tears from his eyes again.

Rick wiped his own tears away from his eyes. He wanted to thank Max for his wonderful words, to thank him for his support and tell him that Lisa would have loved what he said about her

But he couldn't.

He knew that if he told his dear friend those things that Max would be deeply moved, perhaps even break down a little. If Max fell apart, Rick would immediately follow.

Instead, Rick listened to something that was echoing in his mind…

----------------------------------

Lisa sat on the thermal blanket, her back against the wall of the cave with her knees brought up to her chest and regarded it scornfully. The folder that Graham had brought on her last visit had stayed where Lisa had thrown it that day. No matter how much it gnawed at her soul, she just couldn't bring herself to look at the memo inside. That didn't mean she didn't think about it though. On the contrary, it was constantly on her mind…right behind Rick and Roy.

Four people were dead because of her. _"No"_, she admonished herself, _"not because of me. Because of Graham."_

Her mind drifted to each of them. She had no problem placing faces with the names; she knew them all well. She remembered each of them: Hunt, Styles, Finch and Montgomery and couldn't stop the tears of utter sadness.

She bowed her head and promised, "I will never forget you, I swear." She clenched her fists together and added, "And I promise Sue Graham will pay."

Even as she made that promise to herself, a warm feeling washed over her. It felt as though Rick was holding her in his strong embrace…and she imagined for a moment that he was.

----------------------------------

"_Something isn't right"_, realized Rick after he thought about it for a moment. Something was missing…something that wouldn't be missing if Lisa were there.

Kingsley stood at the lectern and said, "That concludes the service. I would like to extend…"

"One moment, Commander", interrupted the voice of Rick Hunter. Rick sat with his eyes closed and his head bowed down thinking about Lisa and what she would want. He knew everyone was waiting. "_Let them wait"_, he told himself.

After contemplating what to say, Rick opened his eyes, raised his head and tried to stand up. He was almost up when his strength failed him and he began to sink back down into his seat. Before he reached it though, Jean was out of her own seat like a bolt of lightning and kept Rick upright by discreetly grabbing and holding onto his arm.

Rick whispered, "Thanks, Jean", and he rubbed her hand in appreciation. "Take your seat", he told her as he gave her a reassuring look. "I'll be fine."

He could see by the concern in her eyes that she was far from convinced about that, but she did as he asked and sat down after releasing his arm.

Rick smiled at her and then carefully walked to the end of the stage. He hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, trying to find the strength to do what he knew she would want him to do. The memory of his strong willed wife gave him the strength he needed, and he walked up the stairs and walked up beside Kingsley. She looked to him and was about to ask him if he was sure that he wanted to speak, but his eyes answered the question for her.

Kingsley stepped aside and Rick moved to the lectern and closed his eyes for a moment as he placed his hands on the top edges of the podium. He hoped that no one noticed that his knuckles had turned white from holding it so tight.

Rick slowly opened his eyes and looked out at the hundreds of people and took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I can't find the words to describe to you just what it was and how much my wife means to me. I'm not even going to try. General Reinhardt, Queen Bela and Max have spoken more than eloquently enough about just how special my wife is…about her strength, her courage, her kindness, her warmth and her…love." Rick lowered his head and fought back the wave of emotion that surged in his chest.

As he lowered his head he caught sight of the Spherisian's statue of Lisa in front of the stage. _"I have to do it…for her"_, he thought. When he looked up, it was with a sense of utter determination. He still didn't understand where the strength came from, but come to him it did.

"No, I want to do something now that I know my wife would want me to do, something that she would do if she were here right now. While I know Lisa would be deeply moved by this service and the tremendous support and honor showed to her today, I am equally certain that she would be mad as hell if her", he swallowed the lump in his throat, "death…was the only one mourned here today."

Rick cast a quick glance to Max and watched as he slowly nodded his head and a knowing smile came to his lips.

"Four other people died that …that horrendous day", continued Rick. "They died in the service of the REF…in their performance of their duty. They died with her…and for her."

Rick took a long moment to search the second row on the left, where he had told Kingsley to seat some special people. Finally he found the eyes of Lieutenant Commander Courtney Hunt, the wife of the shuttle pilot, Commander Brendan Hunt.

Rick looked only at her as he spoke, and when he did speak his voice was sincere and calm. "Commander Brendan Hunt was perhaps the finest shuttle pilot in the fleet. He could accomplish feats with those things that would boggle the mind, and Lisa felt absolutely safe under his care. More than that though, Brendan Hunt was a husband and soon to be father." Rick smiled as he remembered. "When Lisa and I first found out that the Hunts were expecting, we joked with him that if the baby was a boy, Rick was a fine name. We also said that Lisa was an equally acceptable name for a girl. He took it all in stride. He was a respected leader, a superb officer and a very good man. He will be deeply missed." Courtney Hunt mouthed a thank you to Rick, and he nodded to her.

Several seats down Rick's gaze rested on Lieutenant Elizabeth Hart, the fiancé of Lieutenant Paul Styles, the shuttle's copilot. _"So young"_, thought Rick sadly. "Lieutenant Paul Styles was engaged to be married, and he had asked Lisa to perform the ceremony, which she was deeply honored to do. Lisa told me he was as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs the day he proposed to Elizabeth, and she couldn't help but tease him about it. He was so looking forward to spending his life with you, Elizabeth. He was an exemplary pilot, and like Brendan, Lisa had full confidence in his piloting skills. He was always cracking jokes, smiling and keeping the atmosphere around him loose and happy. He too will be sorely missed."

Next to Elizabeth Hart Rick found Dr. Jacob Finch, the husband of Lieutenant Commander Jane Finch. "Lieutenant Commander Jane Finch was the escort squadron's second in command, resident mother hen and a hell of a poker player. She could bluff anyone…and on that I'm speaking from experience. She was a kind-hearted woman, who loved her husband and her job. She was the Mom of the flying men and women of the SDF-3, and she would help anyone with any problem if she could. She is…she is irreplaceable."

Three seats down from Dr. Finch sat the parents of Lieutenant Scott Montgomery. They were retired REF Captains themselves who Rick knew personally. "Lieutenant Scott Montgomery was following in his parents footsteps, and doing it with professionalism and class. He worked hard and flew straight. Scott liked to read and build those tiny little model ships inside bottles…a hobby he picked up from his Dad." Rick smiled as he looked at Montgomery's father. "I asked him once how he managed to do it. He told me that if you can fly an Alpha without hitting anything, you could build a ship in a bottle. He smiled after he had said that, and I knew that it was because he realized that I had crashed my aircraft…more than once." Rick paused as a ripple of quiet laughter went through the observation deck. "He was soft spoken, but his flying and work ethic spoke volumes. He was the finest example of a pilot."

Rick let his eyes drift around the room. "They will all be missed…by their loved ones, by their squad mates and by us all."

Admiral Rick Hunter released the lectern and slowly, carefully walked down the stairs to the deck, and made his way back to his front row seat. When he was seated, Max leaned over and whispered, "Very nice, Boss. Very nice."

Rick simply nodded and watched as Kingsley made her way up to the lectern. Even from where he was sitting and through the tears in his eyes, he could see that she had been crying. "That's concludes the service. On behalf of Admiral Hunter, I would like to thank you all for coming. I would also ask that you remain seated until Admiral Hunter and his party leave. Thank you."

Kingsley left the stage and walked down to where Rick was seated. She saluted and said quietly, "At your discretion, sir, I will escort you to your quarters."

Rick stood up, looked over to check on Roy and Miriya and then looked back to Kingsley. "Now would be a good time, Commander."

Kingsley stepped to the aisle and waited as her charges stood up and walked towards her.

Rick watched Jean and Vince move to stand behind Kingsley. Miriya then stood up and, with Roy still hugging her neck walked over there as well, but not before Rick leaned in and gave his son a kiss on his cheek. Max came up beside him and held out his arm to tell Rick to go ahead. Rick walked a couple of paces and found himself looking into the crystal eyes of the statue of Lisa. For a moment he could see Lisa's sparkling green eyes…but just for a moment. He tore his eyes away from the representation of the love of his life, and walked up behind Miriya.

As Rick and his family followed Kingsley down the aisle towards the door to the observation deck, Rick couldn't help but think, _"I will never say good-bye, Lisa…never."_


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks for the reviews everyone! I love the feedback, please keep it up.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Angie collapsed face down onto her couch, totally exhausted from the emotional roller coaster that she had experienced at the service. Her face hugged into the pillow as her right arm hung limply over the edge, her right hand resting palm up on the floor.

The service had been brutal enough on her tortured conscious, but then…

As Rick Hunter walked slowly down the aisle, he looked over and made eye contact with her. Her training made her salute him, although she was pretty sure the guilt had a little something to do with it as well. When she saluted he stopped, actually stopped in mid stride in the middle of the aisle, almost causing a collision between himself and Max Sterling, who was bringing up the rear. She would have laughed had she not been so petrified of what he was going to do. So many terrifying possibilities flashed through her mind in that moment. What if he came over to her? What if he spoke? What would she do? What would she say? What would Sue do? What would Sue think? What would Sue say?

The thoughts were flying through her mind when he did something that made time stop for her. He shifted his eyes to look just beyond her…to Sue. Angie couldn't take her gaze off of his rapidly darkening eyes. As time began to creep forward again, Angie sensed Sue as she saluted Rick, and out of the corner of her eye she could see those around them do the same. But his eyes…

They looked past her to Graham with an intensity Angie couldn't even begin to fathom. Angie saw brilliant flashes of emotions in his blue eyes and not once did love or even tolerance show in his visage. She easily discerned caution in his eyes. She could see instances of revulsion, distrust and even a little fear. Then his eyes settled on something, something that made Angie's heart skip a beat. They settled on suspicion…strong and very deep suspicion.

His eyes narrowed and she could see his jaw muscles twitch as his jaw became set in a pensive look.

Angie could feel the hot rush of pink invade her cheeks. She was about to gulp when his eyes darted back to her. For a moment, everything else around them disappeared and she found herself alone with Admiral Rick Hunter as he looked at her with the same suspicious glare that he had just visited upon her friend. For that moment she imagined that he knew what she had done…how she had been instrumental in hurting so much those he loved.

Thankfully the moment was brief. Angie blinked and all of the other people surrounding her reappeared. Rick's eyes softened and he nodded in her direction. He took a step forward to catch up to Miriya Sterling, though not without casting one last glare to Sue.

Angie turned her head slightly to the right on the pillow of her couch, allowing her to breathe a little easier. She moaned loudly as she thought once more of the look of distrust on Rick Hunter's face.

"Did you say something, Angie?", called Sue Graham from the bathroom. While Angie fell onto the couch, Sue had to go to the bathroom to tend to her continually bleeding lip.

"No", said Angela tiredly. Angie had wanted to come home and rest, relax and stew about in the melancholy web of regret and self-loathing that had woven around herself. She needed and wanted to be alone. _"No that's not true"_, she admitted to herself as she watched Graham walk into the living room. _"I just don't want to be around her."_

Angie used her arms to push her upper torso up off the couch. She was in incredible shape and never had problems doing push ups, but after going through the service she felt like she was trying to lift the weight of the world up with her too. She finally got into a sitting position and ran her hands through her hair, flattened as it was by lying on the pillow.

She brought her hands down and let them rest neutrally by her legs on the couch. She was torn between genuine concern for her friend and mild amusement. She was amused because the irony of Sue Graham constantly being pestered by her cumbersome lip injury wasn't lost on her. Then however, Sue was still her friend…her family…and in the end her concern forced her to speak up.

"Sue", began Angela, "you have to go to the infirmary. It's been days and the bleeding isn't letting up that much. The blood should have clotted at the wound by now. Something is stopping it blood from clotting…it could be an infection. If you let it go it's going to get worse and harder to treat."

Sue made a dismissive gesture and sat down heavily in Angie's recliner. "I can't go to the infirmary, Angie. Grant will ask questions", she screwed up her nose as she added, "and I'm pretty sure she don't like me very much."

Angie worked to keep her face neutral. She liked Dr. Grant and didn't particularly appreciate the negative tone that Sue used when speaking about her. Angie decided to let it slide and said calmly, "There are other doctors in the infirmary, Sue. Dr. Grant isn't there twenty-fours hours a day, seven days a week. She won't be there for the rest of the day." She reluctantly got up off the couch and walked towards the door, stretching the kinks out of back as she went. "Come on", she said in a tone of voice that said she wasn't going to back down. "I'll go with you."

Graham got up out of the recliner and slowly walked towards the door as well. She adopted a defeated expression and asked in a child like voice, "Will you hold my hand too, Angie?"

Angie smiled and almost laughed. That was the type of thing that reminded Angie of the strong friendship they shared. "If I have to." She opened the door and pointed to the corridor, "I'm sick of seeing that lip like that, and soon you're going to get blood on my carpet. Then I'll really get mad."

Graham laughed as she passed Angie. Sue turned around when she got into the corridor and looked into Angie's eyes. "I definitely wouldn't want you to get mad at me, Angie", she said jokingly.

Angie froze. She heard the joviality in Graham's voice, but what she said struck a chord in her already guarded mind. _"No"_, she thought. _"I don't guess you would want me to get mad…then I would let everyone know what you", _she laughed scornfully to herself as she amended, _"what we did."_

Sue noticed Angie's sudden attitude shift. "Angie?"

Angela shook herself as if to wake up from a trance. "Yeah…let's go." She gave Sue a gentle shove down the corridor, and trying to cover her little fade out she said jovially, "Infirmary is that way."

As she walked her friend to the Infirmary, it seemed to her that the haunted and dark blue eyes of Admiral Rick Hunter followed their every move.

----------------------------------

"_He's exhausted"_, thought Rick as he slowly closed the door to his son's bedroom. He tiptoed out to the living room where his friends sat waiting for him. He averted their gazes as he walked towards the little kitchen, pausing at the door to ask if anyone wanted anything. No one did, but he went in there anyway.

Once inside the door, and out of everyone's line of sight, Admiral Rick Hunter placed both his hands on the counter and tried to stop the tears from coming. He tried so hard to stop it, and for one cruel moment he thought he had succeeded.

But he didn't.

He watched powerlessly as the drops fell steadily from his face onto the counter top. The little puddle that formed on the counter grew until it threatened to spill onto the floor, but he just couldn't bring himself to give a damn.

He took a deep breath and blew it out. He had tried so hard to be strong for his son, for his friends and for his crew, and much to his own surprise he did remarkably well. It wasn't until he tucked his son into bed that the fragile string holding him up snapped. He looked so much like Lisa that it…that it almost hurt.

He shook the thought from his head as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Need a hand, Boss?", came Max's voice.

Rick hesitated a moment and then answered, "I don't know if I can do it, Max. I don't know if I can say good-bye to her." He turned to face his friend. He took another breath, tapped his temple with his right index finger and began hesitantly, "My mind…in my mind, Max, I can…I know that she's…I know that she's gone, and that I have to accept that. Move on. But here", he lowered his right hand to his chest and pointed his thumb at his heart, "but here, Max, I know that I can never say good-bye to her. How can I when I feel her all around me? How can I when I look at Roy and I see so much of her in him?"

Max watched as Rick ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Max couldn't remember ever seeing his friend so worn out, not even after sitting in the cockpit for sixteen hours straight, or when Roy and Ben died. _"Then again"_, thought Max, _"she's the love of his life."_

Rick turned back to face the counter and again put his two hands on it for support. "It was her today, Max. It was her that told me to get up there and talk about Hunt, Montgomery, Finch and Stiles. I was out of it…until I…I don't know…until I heard something…" Rick raised his fists a couple of inches off the counter and slammed them down hard. When he spoke however, it was a whisper. "I don't know."

"Rick…", began Max, but Rick was finished trying to explain it.

"It's okay, Max." He turned to face Max again and smiled meekly. "I'm okay."

Max was about to say something, but he decided against it. Instead Max stepped toward Rick and hugged him. Hugging each other was something that Max and Rick very seldom did and when they did, it usually felt strange for them. Not this time though.

When Max stepped back from Rick a moment later he said, "I'm not sure you have to say good-bye at all, Rick. I am sure that you don't have to say good-bye if you're not ready. You're right that you have to move on, move forward, but at your own pace. Do what's best for you, Rick. Everything else will fall into place."

Rick thought about that for a moment and nodded. "Thanks, Max."

Max gave Rick the boyish smile for which he was famous and replied, "Anytime, Boss." He turned and took a step towards the door to the living room and said, "Everyone else has left. Vince had to go to the Sit. Room and Jean said there was a report she wanted to work on in the Infirmary. Miriya said she wanted to and call to see how Aurora is doing, so that leaves the two of us. Anything you want to do?"

Rick shook his head slowly. "No, Max", he said tiredly. "I think I just want to relax and…and be alone." He walked past Max into the living room and when Max joined him he said, "I think you should go home and be with Miriya. She needs you, Max. More than I do."

Max stood still, and after contemplating Rick's words for a moment he conceded to himself that Rick was probably right.

"All right, Rick", said the General as he headed to the door. "If you need anything just call."

"I will", said Rick appreciatively. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Max nodded and left Rick standing alone in his living room. He pulled at his tie, loosening it as he turned and headed to the wall where the pictures of the Hunter family were hung in a meticulous symmetry. As a rule, Lisa didn't nag him about too much. One of the exceptions to that rule was the hanging of the pictures. She was very specific on how she wanted the arrangement of the pictures, even borderline maniacal about it.

He glanced over the pictures and then went over and sat down heavily into the recliner so that he could face the picture wall. He smiled as he remembered the day they moved into their quarters. For almost two hours she had him precariously situated on two chairs with a laser level and magnetic picture holders. She would tell him to go to the left, then to the right, then down and so on and so on. Finally he had reached his limit, oddly enough with the last picture, and turned to nicely explain the delicate nature of the balance he had obtained only to see her grinning from ear to ear.

He closed his eyes and replayed the scene that had played out those many years earlier…

"A little more to the left…the left, Rick not the right." She paused after he moved it yet again and then said, "I don't know, Rick. It still doesn't look right."

He braced his hands against the wall to support his unsteady balance. He was very careful to keep his body steady, though he did turn his head. "Lisa, I can't stay like this forev…what the hell is so funny."

She couldn't keep from smiling any longer, especially when she saw the look of annoyance on his face. She laughed and tilted her head slightly to the left, as if she were admiring something.

"Did I ever tell you that you have the cutest rear end I have ever seen?", she asked teasingly. She took a step closer to him and tilted her head to the right. "I never really realized just how cute it is until I saw you up there." She straightened up, let her smile turn into a smirk and added, "Thanks for the show, Rick."

Rick took his right hand from the wall, pointed it at her and started to wobble immediately. The rebuke he had in his mind to say was quickly replaced with a variety of appropriate curse words from which he never had time to choose one. He over corrected his balance and began to fall backwards.

Lisa was mortified as she watched her husband fall back onto the floor. Her fears were compounded by the fact that she couldn't actually see him as he landed because of the wall of unpacked boxes that were in the way. As he disappeared from her sight she screamed his name. "Rick!"

She rushed to where he had fallen, and when she turned the corner of the wall of boxes her fear and anxiety turned into shock when her husband grabbed her hand and pulled her down towards him.

Luck was something Rick learned to respect as a pilot. It was luck that he thanked when he landed on the cushion of the couch, which they had laid on the floor after bringing into their new quarters. His landing on the cushion was almost comfortable in fact. He also believed that it was possible to create your own luck, so when he saw Lisa turn the corner he decided to do just that.

She landed on top of him and he could see that it took her a second to process that not only was he perfectly fine, but that he had the drop on her…so to speak.

Lisa slapped his arm and said angrily, "I thought you were hurt, Rick." She started to get up but he held onto her. When she looked at him he wasn't smiling. He was as serious as she had ever seen him.

"I'm sorry, Lisa", he said with a sincerity that he meant fully. "I didn't mean to frighten you." He gently laid his right hand behind her head and slowly, carefully pulled her down to him.

When his lips covered hers all the anger and embarrassment Lisa had been feeling vanished. It was replaced by the passion and love that always simmered just below the thin layer of control she had when she was near him. She returned his kiss not out of choice or even want. She returned his kiss out of need and out of the belief that she would go insane if she didn't…

Rick sat up in the recliner, opened his eyes and looked to that spot by the wall where he had fallen. They had both realized the significance of what they were doing. They gave into their desires right then and there and made love for the first time in their new home. It was reminiscent of their very first time together. They moved carefully and deliberately, as if exploring each other for the first time. It was a new beginning for them in their new living quarters aboard their new ship. It was a time of renewal of mission, renewal of spirit and renewal of love and life for them both. It had been a powerful experience for Rick, and the significance of it wasn't lost on him.

Rick felt a tear wind its way down his cheek. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He got up and went in to check on Roy, who hadn't even moved he was so tired. Rick smiled and returned to the living room. He lid down on the couch and closed his own tired eyes, only then realizing how truly exhausted he was, and before he knew it he was dreaming of his beautiful wife.

----------------------------------

Sue Graham sat on a bed in one of the Infirmary's examination rooms and sighed. It had been half an hour since she first entered the room, and the only person she had seen besides Angela was the nurse who brought her in. She removed the tissue from her lip and was utterly annoyed to find a fresh bloodstain on it.

She really didn't want to be there. In fact, there was no other place that she could think of that she wanted to avoid more. _"At least Grant is not around"_, she thought, trying to find some sort of silver lining in her gloomy predicament.

The door opened and Angie walked in. Angie collapsed into a chair, screwed up her nose and folded her arms across her chest in obvious frustration. "Years of working here. You think I'd have some influence." She grunted and added, "What a bunch of…"

She never got the chance to finish. The door opened and Dr. Pullman walked in. Angie couldn't help but smile when he looked at her. He reminded her of an absent-minded professor. He always asked the same questions again and again, and for some inexplicable reason he could never find his glasses…even when they were hanging around his neck. Still, he was a brilliant doctor. Perhaps even the best in the REF…after Jean Grant.

Pullman didn't speak for several minutes. He looked over the chart he had in his hands, his right hand absently stroking his salt and pepper bearded chin. He finally put the chart down on a table, ran his hand through his unruly gray hair and looked intently at Angie.

"I know you", he stated without preamble.

Angie looked up to the doctor and said patiently, "Yes, sir. Lieutenant Angela Marques…I work in the Infirmary as a medic, sir."

He still didn't look convinced that that was how he knew her, but thankfully for Angie he didn't pursue the matter. He turned his gaze to Sue, and Angela thought to herself, _"This should be good for a laugh or two."_

He adjusted his round glasses and asked in a surprised voice, "Why is your lip bleeding?" He took a step closer to her and added, "Did you know your lip is bleeding?" He narrowed his eyes and announced, "I don't know you."

Angie brought her hand up to her mouth to hide her smile and stifle the snicker that wanted so badly to escape.

"Yes, sir", said Sue uncertainly. "It's why I'm here, sir. I cut it a few days ago and it doesn't seem to want to start healing." She glanced at Angie and then looked back to Pullman. "No, sir…you don't know me. My name is…."

Pullman leaned in close to Sue to get a good look at her lip, which caused her to forget what it was she was saying. He moved his head rapidly every which way he could to get a look at it from various angles, and Sue began to feel as though she was the main attraction in some kind of demented sideshow.

Angie watched with heartening amusement as Pullman examined Graham's wounded lip. She laughed to herself and thought, _"The look on her face is priceless."_

Pullman stepped back abruptly and regarded Sue's lip. "When did it happen?"

Angie watched as Graham reeled in her temper and responded.

"A few days ago…sir. Three or four days." Sue had to try very hard to keep from snapping, and seeing Angie obviously enjoying her uncomfortable situation only made her feel worse.

"How did it happen, young lady?", he asked as he stepped towards her, took her face in his right hand and turned it to the left and then to the right.

When Pullman released her face she said, "I slipped getting into my Alpha and hit the fuselage."

He stepped back and regarded Sue, stroking his chin with his right hand and his left arm resting across his stomach. Without warning, and with a dexterity that would put many doctors to shame, he reached to the table, picked up a swab and dabbed it on her lip. He placed the swab into a sterile dish on the table and resumed his previous position of regarding Graham. The whole episode took only a few seconds.

He looked into her eyes suddenly, and after a moment he said, "I don't know you. Who are you?"

Sue sighed…loudly…and answered him. "Commander Sue Graham, sir, from Fleet Intelligence."

"Fleet Intelligence", he mumbled vaguely. "The wound is red around the edges and I can see evidence of some red streaks extending from the wound. Has there been any discharge from it? Besides blood I mean." Graham opened her mouth to respond but he continued without waiting. "I suspect, young lady, that there is an infection in the wound that is somehow interfering with the blood's natural coagulation. I will give you some general antibiotics for now, but when we get the results of the blood analysis, we may have to give you a more specific medication. If that doesn't help, we may need to try something more aggressive and specific for the type of infection. I'll have the blood analysis in a matter of minutes, but I'll want to take some time to go over the results. Come back tomorrow morning. Good day."

He wrote something down in her chart, mumbling to himself the whole time, and looking up at Graham several times.

Graham looked at Angie inquisitively and Angie shrugged her shoulders in response.

Pullman collected the chart and the sample, regarded Sue and Angie, and without another word turned and left the room. Sue again turned to Angie and was about to ask what was going on when the door flew open and Pullman walked back in.

He looked at Sue, narrowed his eyes and said, "I know you." Before she could respond he added, "The nurse will be in with your medication in a moment." With that he reached up to ensure that his glasses were on his face and then disappeared out the door again.

When Angie was sure that he wasn't coming right back in again, she looked at Sue and couldn't help but laugh.

"This isn't funny, Angie", said Graham nastily. "Are you sure he's a doctor?"

Angie stopped laughing but retained a smile on her face. "He's a great doctor, Sue. Come on…it's almost over."

Just then a male nurse walked in, nodded to Sue and went to the table off to the left. Sue watched nervously as the nurse reached up into a cabinet and then began to do…something. He had his back to Graham so she couldn't see what it was that he was doing. She looked over to see Angie with a confused look on her face, which for some reason only added to her own suspicion and discomfort. Finally the nurse turned around, holding a needle in one hand and a swab in the other. He stepped up to Sue and looked at her expectantly. After a moment he said, "Please stand up and drop your pants, Commander."

Sue's eyes nearly bulged out of her head. "Excuse me?", she said indignantly. "I'm not going to…"

"The doctor ordered an antibiotic shot", the nurse said pleasantly, "which is given in the buttock." He smiled sympathetically and said, "It doesn't hurt, Commander."

After several moments of looking at the nurse with some doubt, Sue stood up and undid her pants. Angie got up to leave.

"Where are you going, Angie?", asked Graham a little panicky. Angie and Andrea both knew she wasn't particularly fond of needles. She was also more than a little self conscious about a guy giving her a needle in the butt. "Stay here…please."

Angie smiled, sat back down and looked at one of the many medical diagrams adorning the far wall and waited.

Relieved that Angie stayed, she turned around and lowered her pants just enough to give the nurse the access he needed.

"Take a deep breath, Commander."

Sue turned her head. "If it doesn't hurt why do I have to take a deep….owwwww!"

"All done", announced the nurse and then he left.

"It doesn't hurt, Commander", mimicked Sue as she pulled up her pants. Then she muttered, "Doesn't hurt my ass."

She heard Angie snicker and a moment later break out in hysterical laughter. For a moment Sue was lost and a little upset that she was finding this funny, that is until she realized what she had said…then she joined Angie.

When Graham was ready a few minutes later they exited the room and walked out through the Infirmary. As they turned the corner to head to their respective quarters, Jean turned the corner at the opposite end of the corridor on her way into the Infirmary.

Jean walked up to the main desk and regarded the head nurse on duty. "Hi Holly. Have I missed anything?"

The nurse smiled and reported, "No, Dr. Grant…it's been pretty quiet. How was the service?"

Jean forced a smile onto her face as she replied. "It was…it was a nice and respectful service. They did a good job. Admiral Hunter would have liked it I think." Jean needed to change the subject. "So there hasn't been anyone here today. That's the way I like it."

"Actually, ma'am, there was someone here today. She just left, as a matter of fact. Dr. Pullman saw her. It didn't seem to be serious."

"Still not bad." She went towards her office and called out as she went in, "Thanks Holly." Jean sat at her desk and found the report she wanted to look over. She pulled up the appropriate files on her computer and amended the report. When she finished she got up, left her office and turned to go and see Pullman about his afternoon patient.

Jean walked down the hall to the office of her most capable colleague. Jean considered him to be very brilliant, if a little eccentric. When she got to his office the door was opened and she looked in to find Alistair Pullman sitting at his desk behind a stack of folders. He seemed to be engrossed with a certain file. Jean knew from experience that when Pullman was so involved with something, he was easily startled. She cleared her throat and said quietly, "Good afternoon, Dr. Pullman."

Without uttering so much as a syllable he stood up, walked over to her and handed her a blood analysis readout. "What do you make of this, Jean?" When she took the readout he stayed where he was and waited for her to read it.

Jean's interest was piqued. He rarely called her by her first name, and he didn't exhibit any of his usual absentminded quirks. Both were signs that something was serious or very peculiar. She looked to the report and began to read. It didn't take long for her to see why Pullman was so concerned.

"Seems like a nasty little infection", she said after going over it. She went over it a second time and added, "But treatable."

"I agree, Jean", he said.

"So what's the problem, Alistair?" He seemed to be more concerned than he was letting on.

He shook his head. "I'm not certain. It just doesn't seem to be your everyday infection…a nasty little infection, like you said. I haven't seen it before and I don't know where or how she could have picked it up. I'm going to run a profile of the infection and see anything comes up in the computers. Maybe the damn things will be good for something for a change." He took the report from Jean, smiled and said, "Never mind, Dr. Grant. She'll be good as new in a few days."

Without another word Pullman went back to his desk and sat down behind his pile of files, mumbling to himself when he got settled.

Jean smiled and slowly shook her head in amazement. "See you tomorrow, Alistair." She heard a grunt as she turned and left. She said good-bye to the duty nurse and began the walk home, all the way wondering why that blood analysis triggered a very loud alarm in the back of her mind.

----------------------------------

As they approached Graham's quarters, Sue glanced at Angie and asked cautiously, "When is your next flight recertification?"

Angie looked at Graham suspiciously. It was the oddest question and one Graham had never asked before. "Next month", said Angie warily. As they got to Graham's door Angie added, "Why?" She really wanted an answer to her question, but before she could press the issue she saw something in the eyes of her friend that told her to keep quiet until they got inside.

When they went inside Graham's quarters a moment later, Sue went to the couch and sat down very gently on her still very tender derriere.

Angie came in and stood in front of her friend. The question about her flight recertification, the clouded look of Sue's eyes and her sudden silence had Angie more than a little worried. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at Sue. "What is it, Sue?"

Graham avoided looking at Angie, opting instead for gazing intently at her coffee table. "I have to go back to work tomorrow, and it doesn't look like I'll be getting any time off soon. Woods is going hot and heavy with the investigation. I'm almost surprised he showed up today…he's so into it." She finally looked to Angie and noticed the hard look on her face. Graham knew that what she was about to ask Angie could be devastating to her little operation, but she had no other option available. She would just have to have faith that their friendship was strong enough. "It means I won't be able to go check on the Old Woman, Angie." She pointed to her lip, "I haven't been back there since this happened."

"I'll see if I can get my recertification moved up", Angie said calmly. "I'll go and check on her."

"I know you don't want to, Angie, and I know it would be hard…what did you say?" Sue was shocked. She had been expecting any number of excuses from Angela as to why she couldn't or shouldn't go. She was expecting Angie to resist the idea as though her life depended on it. The last thing Sue expected was to hear Angie outright suggest that she would go to see the Admiral.

"Like you said, Sue", said Angie, "there is no other option." She shrugged her shoulders and said resignedly, "What's the point in trying to fight it? It won't be a problem to get my recertification moved up…they're pretty flexible."

Graham shifted to her left so that the sore spot lifted off the couch. "Are you sure you're okay with this, Angie?"

Angie gave Sue a wry smile. "I'll let you know, Sue." She turned and headed for the door. "If I go now, I may get someone to let me go out with them tomorrow." She turned to regard Sue Graham as she opened the door. "I'll let you know when I'm going."

Angie was about to close the door behind her but stopped when Sue called out her name. She looked back inside at her friend.

"Thanks, Angie…for everything." Sue smiled and added, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Angie returned her smile. "You're welcome, Sue. I'll talk to you later." Angie closed the door and walked quickly to her quarters. She'd change and then go and check the pilot duty roster for tomorrow. With a little luck, there'd be someone going out tomorrow who would be eligible to recertify her, and with a little more luck that same person wouldn't be the type to ask a lot of questions.

She went inside her quarters and changed out of her dress uniform into a set of off duty sweats, and as she headed for the hangar deck she thought of Sue. Angie knew that behind the smiles and seemingly heart felt gratitude Sue had displayed a little while earlier, the question of the ease with which she agreed to go was going through Sue's mind. She could actually see Sue now sitting on her couch trying to figure out what had gotten into Angie…trying to figure out why she would actually want to go to see Admiral Hunter.

Angie wasn't really sure herself. A secret she would keep to herself forever was that she surprised herself when she told Sue that she would go to the MED moon. It was easy, simple really, to come up with a reason why she shouldn't go…but why go?

"_Guilt"_, she answered herself. _"It's guilt, pure and simple. Besides, it's my chance to get some things to her that Sue might not want to take."_

She would have to be careful though. Lisa Hunter would try everything to get Angie to help her. She would use every weapon at her disposal to prod and shame Angie into betraying Sue, especially Rick and Roy Hunter. Her confident step faltered as she thought of the Hunter men, but only for a moment. They were hurting so badly, and she had the means, the power, to make their anguish go away. She was perhaps the only one who could. Sue was hell bent on going through with the whole thing, and Andrea seemed almost as determined.

But there was no way that she could help them. _"I can't bail out now"_, she thought. _"I'm in way too deep. Aren't I?"_

She entered the hangar deck and got the information she was looking for. A few moments later she was talking to Lieutenant Jenson about her squadron's flight the next day…a routine patrol to the outer edge of the system. Jenson was a good person and easy to get along with, and when Angie asked her for her help she didn't hesitate.

"We leave at 0900 hours, Lieutenant", she said cheerfully. "See you then."

"Absolutely. Thank you, Lieutenant", she responded. "You have no idea how much it helps." Jenson smiled and went on about her business as Angie turned and headed towards her quarters. She needed to dust off her flight suit, get some things together for Admiral Hunter and let Sue know that she would be going tomorrow morning.

Twenty minutes later, Angie was sitting at her computer terminal. As she typed the e-mail she read aloud, "Sue. I got my recertification flight moved up to tomorrow at 0900. I'll let you know how things go when I get back. Don't worry everything will be fine. I promise. Angie."

Angie read it over a couple more times and then hit send. Her message sent, Angie turned her attention to other things, like trying, someway…somehow, to prepare herself for what was going to be a very difficult visit with the woman whose life she helped to destroy.

----------------------------------

She read the message out loud. "Sue. I got my recertification flight moved up to tomorrow at 0900. I'll let you know how things go when I get back. Don't worry everything will be fine. I promise. Angie."

Sue got up out of her chair and gently rubbed her sore spot on her rear end as she went into her bedroom. It was almost as irritating as her lip. Now however, there was something that put the anxiety caused by those two things to shame: Angie going to see Hunter. Sue spent the time since Angie had left trying to figure out why Angie accepted going to the moon so easily. It worried her. Really worried her.

She hated to put Angie in that situation for two reasons. First off, Angie had been feeling bad enough about the whole plan, so how would she react to seeing Lisa Hunter in that cave? How would she hold up against the emotional barrage that Hunter would undoubtedly unleash against her? She really did fear for Angie's emotional well-being.

The second reason was an extension of the first. If Angie became overcome she might do something stupid and tell someone, namely Rick, what they had done. She opened her bottom dresser drawer and took out the metal box that held her sidearm. After she closed the bottom drawer, she placed the box carefully on the dresser and regarded it almost reverently. The last time she took the weapon out she was resolute in her willingness to use it if it became necessary.

"_No!"_, she screamed to herself as she closed her eyes. _"It won't come to that…it won't!"_

The last few hours had been a reminder for her of the bond that she shared with Angela Marques. The mutual respect, the concern, the humor and the love they shared as sisters. It was a welcomed shift back to their normal relationship from the strained and sometimes testy association of the last little while. Sue had missed that and she hoped, sincerely hoped, that Angie had turned the corner on her feelings of guilt and remorse. Especially now that Rick could begin to get over the Old Woman. When he looked at her today as he made his way out of the service, she thought she was going to faint. Despite the fact that he wasn't in his dress uniform, he looked so handsome…and his eyes. When he looked at her it was though his eyes were peering right into her soul.

She blinked to clear the vision of Rick from her eyes and turned her attention back to the box again. _"I won't need it"_, she thought, not all that convincingly. She picked up the box and held it to her chest for a moment, before unlocking the box and putting it in her top drawer…just in case. She closed the drawer and lid down on her bed. _"She'll be fine"_, she thought as she rolled over onto her side, and as she tried to fall asleep she tried to convince herself that she was right…for Angie's sake.


	25. Chapter 25

I cannot believe this is Chapter 25. I am truly amazed. I wonder when the syndication royalties kick in…;)

Dax, Archimagine and Addicted- Thank you.

GPPR- Thanks GP. I hope your not disappointed by Angie's visit…

Carla- Thanks Carla. I like Pullman. He reminds me of my doctor…a little strange but good.

RDFan- But keeping you guessing is what makes you come back. Thanks for your kind words.

Sphersian- Thanks, S. Sorry it wasn't sooner, but I'm hoping it's worth the wait;)

Thank you too to Adena for taking the time and effort to look this over for me. You still rock!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick woke up on the couch surprised to find that someone had put a blanket over him. He was even more surprised to find that he wasn't alone on the couch. He looked down towards his feet and found his son sleeping soundly at the other end of the couch.

Rick smiled at the sight. Sometime during the night Roy must have came out to find him asleep on the couch, got a blanket out of the closet and got up onto the couch. _"Wow"_, thought Rick _"I must have really been wiped not to feel him get up here with me."_ Rick slowly and carefully sat up, trying not to disturb his son. He succeeded and he just sat there for a while watching his son, his and Lisa's son, sleep peacefully. _"Lisa."_

Rick got up off the couch carefully as to not wake Roy. He covered his son with the blanket and went to the bathroom and looked into the mirror, as had become his habit. _"I'm sure there's more gray there than there was yesterday"_, he thought as he ran his fingers through his hair. A few minutes later he was sitting in the recliner, just watching his son sleep.

"_What now, Roy?"_, he asked silently. _"What do we do?"_ Rick had no idea, other than the obvious get on with their lives. But he just couldn't think of a future without Lisa…it just wasn't possible for him. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

He had done a lot of remembering in the last five days, but he had done an equal amount of thinking about his future as well. Like his past was inexorably linked with Lisa's, so too was his future. He still thought about them growing old together; he still thought about them at Roy's wedding; he still thought about them playing with their grandchildren; and he still thought about them retiring and living a peaceful life free of responsibility and the stress…just the two of them together.

"_Together"_, he thought with a stab of despair.

He looked to Roy again. The little boy seemed to have such a better grasp on his feelings and his grief, and Rick had to admit that he was a little envious of Roy and the strength he seemed to have. Of course, he knew where that strength came from. Lisa had shown limitless strength over the years in the most dire situations. When most other people would be giving up, she would just be beginning the fight. It was the same strength that Roy was showing now. When everyone else was struggling and falling apart, Roy was a rock.

"_Just like you, Lisa"_, he thought for what must have been the hundredth time.

Rick got up and quietly headed to the kitchen. As he started the coffee maker he wondered what to do with Roy. He would keep him on the ship with him as long as Roy wanted to stay, but there would come a time he realized, when he would have to go back to work. Lisa told him the ship and crew needed him, and she was right.

Not today however. Today, Rick had something else in mind…something he hoped Roy would have some much-deserved fun with. He looked to the clock. 0740. He went to his bedroom and used the communication unit to call Max, then the flight deck and finally the commander of Base Delta.

Rick walked out to look at Roy and thought, _"Time for you to have a little fun, my son."_

----------------------------------

Lieutenant Angela Marques pulled up the zipper on the front of her flight suit. As the zipper slowly ascended, she let out the breath she didn't even realize she had been holding in.

She used her index fingers to tuck her short hair behind her ears and then used a hair band to keep her hair from coming out into her face. Often when she put on her helmet strands of hair would move to the front of her face. It would get in the way and itch like hell, and the last thing she needed for this flight was for something as trivial as her hair to get on her nerves. There were more than enough bigger issues to do that.

She put her hands on the counter and leaned forward to get a good look at herself in the mirror. When she did she got a fright. Instead of her own brown eyes looking back at her she saw the now all too familiar blue eyes of Rick Hunter in the reflection…the intensely suspicious eyes she saw from him the day before on the observation deck.

Angie closed her eyes tight and summoned all of her inner strength to force the apparition away. She waited as she took in and exhaled three calming breaths, and when she finally opened her eyes she was very relieved to see her own mahogany colored eyes.

She lifted her right hand to the back of neck and rubbed her knotted up muscles. She continued to work on the knots as she stood up straight and walked out to the living room. The clock read 0750. She didn't have to be on the hangar deck until 0830. _"Great"_, she thought sarcastically as she sat down in her recliner. _"All this time to just sit around and think about everything."_ As if she hadn't done enough of it.

Despite her desperate need for sleep, she had gotten very little of it. She kept thinking about Lisa and Rick Hunter and how she had hurt them so badly. It wasn't just that though. Angie didn't mind hurting someone who deserved it...not at all. In fact she was a big believer in dishing out justice yourself if the need was there. But what did Lisa and Rick do to deserve the misery that she and her cohorts had brought upon them? Absolutely nothing. Both were honorable, loving and intelligent people who never hurt anyone, except of course during battle. They were more than worthy of her respect, admiration and gratitude. And how did she show it? By letting herself get caught up in a plan to destroy them.

"_That's not true, Angie"_, she thought. _"You went into this with your eyes wide open. You have no one to blame for this but yourself."_ That perhaps more than anything drove her to the brink of tears. She had the option to not be a part of this, but she chose to be involved. She knew what was going to happen and she knew that she would be one of the main players in the whole affair. She knew and yet she still went along with it. What did that say about her?

Angie got up and began to pace around her living room. She realized she was in way too far to just drop out now. Besides the fact that she was culpable for the deaths of fours REF officers, there was kidnapping, lying to officials and a number of other offences. It's not like she could just go to Rick Hunter and say 'Your wife's alive, sir…sorry' and expect for there to be no consequences. Indeed not. No matter how much she helped the Hunters now, she would still incur a severe penalty. No matter how much she knew she deserved it, her instinct for self-preservation kept her from doing anything.

Then there was Sue Graham...her friend and family. Sue was determined to get Rick to be with her, and God help anyone who got in her way. Angie knew that even if she could blow the whistle on the whole mess, Sue wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary to stop her. Angie's only source of immunity right now was that Sue needed her, and needed her badly. Her visit to the moon was the perfect example of that. Sue could only trust and count on two people: Angie and Andrea. With Andrea Grace gone to Tirol, Angie's usefulness increased dramatically.

Angela stopped her pacing and looked at the bag she had packed to take to Admiral Hunter. She had been in that cave now for close to a week, and knowing Sue and the contempt she had for Lisa Hunter, Angie was sure that Lisa hadn't had much in the way of amenities. It was only because Angie had insisted that Sue even left a SCLU in the cave. The Self Contained Latrine Unit was one of biggest examples of how technology had sterilized the sometimes untidy art of field combat. No longer would complicated waste systems be constructed and maintained. The SCLU was a portable, lightweight and easily maintained waste unit. After initial setup, all you had to do was change the filters. There was no mess, no smell and no fuss. Every Alpha had one in their emergency resource compartments, and every field combat unit had several in their stores. Angie had even figured out how to get the extra filters without raising suspicion.

She went over the items in the bag she had to take with her for the third time. Angie had everything she could think of that Admiral Hunter might need, from food and water, to fresh clothes and various hygiene products. She picked up the bag, pulled the strap up around her shoulder, and after taking one last deep breath she headed for the hangar bay.

----------------------------------

Between her bleeding lip, tender ass and the thought of Angie going to the moon, Sue Graham had a restless night as well.

Twice she had to put a towel on her pillow to keep the blood from her lip from staining the pillowcase. It just kept bleeding no matter what she did or what she put on it. To add to that annoyance was the fact that because of her sore right butt cheek, she couldn't sleep on her right side or on her back.

"_The universe is conspiring against me"_, she thought bitterly.

Of course the biggest reason for her restless night was Angie. No matter how much she tried to make herself believe that all would be well, she still felt a nagging doubt. Angie was one of the strongest willed people she had ever met, and if she really put her mind to it she could do almost anything. Sue had seen many examples of it over the years. This time however, she really wondered if Angie had it in her.

"_She has the strength, but do she have the desire?"_ Graham's question to herself was at the very heart of the matter in her opinion.

The clock read 0750 and she wondered if it was too early to go to the Infirmary and see what Dr. Pullman had to say about her lip. She took a new tissue from the bathroom and put it to her lip, only to once again find a hint of crimson on it when she took it away a moment later. The bleeding had slowed just enough so that she wasn't leaking all over everything, but it was still bleeding.

She wiped her lip and after tossing the tissue on the garbage she headed out the door. She didn't have to be in Fleet Intelligence for a little while, but she didn't really have enough time to go to the Infirmary anyway.

"_I do have enough time to catch Angie on the hangar deck"_, she realized. As she put her hand on the door handle she hesitated. _"The question is would it be a good thing or a bad thing for Angie to see me?"_ There was the possibility that Angie wouldn't take to kindly to Sue's presence. She might take it as Sue checking up on her. While that wouldn't be untrue, it would possibly piss Angie off or shake her confidence in herself. Still…

She opened the door and headed for the hanger bay. She would just have to make sure that Angie knew that she was there for support, not as a threat…

----------------------------------

Angie got her aircraft assignment and headed to her ship. Alpha 217 was at the very far end of the hangar bay, far away from the normal hustle and bustle of the flight crew and most of the pilots. When she reached the craft, she placed her hand on the fuselage and felt her heart race just a little, as it always did when she was about to go flying.

"We launch in half an hour, Lieutenant Marques", came the cheerful voice of Lieutenant Jenson.

Angie turned to face the leader of the Griffin squadron. "I'll be ready, Lieutenant. Just need a few minutes to check everything over."

"Don't forget to check everything, Lieutenant…you never know. Flight plan is already entered into all Griffin Alphas. When we get out there we'll run through the recertification drills, although from what I read in your file you shouldn't have any problems." Jenson stepped up close to Angie and lowered her voice. "If you ever decide to leave the Infirmary, I'll find a place for you. See you out there."

As Jenson walked away, Angie was dumbfounded by the generous offer and compliment just paid to her. She shook herself out of it and began her preflight check. She put her bag into the port storage compartment and left it unlocked while she finished her check, deliberately leaving the emergency stores compartment on the starboard side until the very last. She was just about to check it when a gentle tap on her shoulder and someone speaking her name nearly made her jump out of her skin.

She turned and exclaimed in a harsh whisper, "Damn it Sue! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

As Angie looked around to see if anyone noticed the episode, Sue smiled and let loose a little laugh.

"It's not funny!", exclaimed Angie angrily as she turned back to her Alpha.

Sue held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm sorry, Angie. I just wanted to come by and make sure you were okay." She put her hand on Angie's shoulder and gently turned her so they faced each other. "Angie…are you okay?"

Angie regarded her friend for a moment and tried to figure out if she was genuinely concerned or if it was part of her burgeoning acting career. She decided Sue seemed to be sincere, so Angie answered her in kind. "I'm fine, Sue. Sorry for snapping at you. I guess I'm a little more on edge than I thought."

Sue offered a knowing smile and said softly, "If there was another way Angie, I wouldn't hesitate…"

"I know, Sue, and I don't mind…really." She gently slapped Sue's shoulder. "I'll let you know how it goes. You should get to work, and don't forget you're supposed to go and see Pullman this morning." At Sue's unenthusiastic reaction Angie added, "It's for your own good, Sue."

"I know. I'll go there on my lunch break." Sue put both her hands on Angie's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Be careful Angie", she said with deadly seriousness. Sue lowered her voice to a whisper and said, "She'll try everything to get to you."

Angie smiled meekly and tried to reassure Sue, and herself for that matter. "I know. I'll be on my toes. Now get out of here so I can finish my preflight check."

Sue smiled. She turned and walked towards the nearest entrance, stopping for just a moment to cast one more worried glance in Angie's direction. She went through the door and headed to Fleet Intelligence. _"She'll be fine"_, thought Sue as she walked, still not all that convincingly.

Angie watched Sue leave and opened the emergency stores compartment and took out the SCLU filters. She quickly looked around to make sure there was no one watching, and poked her finger through the top filter. She took another quick look around and then moved to the front of her ship.

A young flight crewmember walked by. "Crewman!", she called out to him.

He turned and looked at Angie with a look on his face that was akin to fear. "Yes, ma'am."

She held back the smile that was coming, held up the filter she had tampered with and said, "The SCLU filters in my emergency stores are damaged. Could you get me a new set please? I'm supposed to launch in a few minutes."

He nodded eagerly. "Yes, ma'am." He started off and then stopped and looked back to her. "Did you want me to get rid of those for you, ma'am?"

She shook her head. "That's fine crewman. Just get me the new filters. Fast."

He took off in a hurry and Angie finally let the smile show on her face.

While the young crewman was off getting the new filters, Angie carefully hid the undamaged filters in the storage compartment where she had put her bag. She just locked the compartment when the crewman returned.

"Here you go, ma'am. Is there anything else I can do for you, Lieutenant?"

"No, crewman. Thank you very much." He saluted, and when she returned his salute he left.

She put the new filters in the starboard compartment and secured the door. She slowly walked around the Alpha, looking over every little detail again. She stopped at the ladder and was about to climb up when she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder.

"Damn it!" As she turned to face whoever had interrupted her she added, "I told you not to scare me like that S…", Angie's eyes opened wide and she stammered, "…sir! I'm so sorry, sir, I thought you were someone else!" She came to attention and felt the blood move with all due haste to her cheeks.

Rick held up his hand to stop Angie from saying anything else, but more importantly to get her to calm down. He smiled and said, "Stand easy, Angie. It's my fault for sneaking up on you like that. I'm sorry for startling you."

"Thank you, sir. I'm so sorry, Admiral Hunter."

"Forget about it, Angie. That's an order." Rick walked to her side and placed his hand on the port wing, taking a second to remember what it was like to board an aircraft and soar through the wild blue skies. "I take it you're heading out?"

Angie hesitated for a moment to calm her voice. "Yes, sir. Recertification flight. We should be leaving in a few moments, sir."

"You're going out with the Griffins?" When she nodded Rick smiled a smile that said he knew something she didn't. "The Griffin squadron flight has been delayed by half an hour." When he saw the confusion on her face he elaborated. "I'm taking my son down to Tirol for the day. In light of…well, because of…with what happened to my wife, General Sterling, Captain Forsythe and Captain Grant have insisted on having the planet's airspace and the area around the planet cleared of all air traffic. They also insisted on some escorts."

As he spoke the last sentence he nodded in the direction behind Angie. She turned to see General Miriya Sterling walking towards them, garbed in a flight suit and holding the hand of Rick Hunter's son. Roy Hunter was wearing a wind suit that was reminiscent of the flight suits that Rick, Miriya and Angie were wearing.

"How are you doing, buddy?", asked Rick when they reached him.

Roy was very busy watching the hustle and bustle of the flight deck and only mumbled his response of, "Fine, Daddy."

Rick, Miriya and Angie smiled, and it was seeing Angie's smile that made Rick think of something.

"Angie", he said as he looked at her. "You haven't been formally introduced to my son have you?"

Angie's eyes opened wide. "What? Ah…no, sir…no I haven't."

Rick knelt down and brought Roy close to him. "Roy, this nice lady here is Lieutenant Angela Marques. She works with Auntie Jean."

The darling little boy held out his hand, and as Angie took it he said to her, "Nice to meet you, Lieuten…"

When he looked over to his father for help, Angie got down on one knee and said, "You can call me Angie. It's very nice to meet you, Roy."

A pleasant smile washed over his face, the same smile she had seen a number of times on the face of his mother, and said warmly, "Nice to meet you, Angie."

She couldn't help but return his smile, even as the thought of how she had hurt him catapulted into her mind. She stood up and instinctively took a step backwards, just in case any of them had a sixth sense capable of detecting the palpable guilt she knew she had to be emitting.

"We're ready when you are, Admiral", came the voice of the new Skull leader as he walked up to them. "General Sterling is satisfied that the area is secure, sir", began the newly promoted Lieutenant Commander Jack Baker, "We'll take it nice and slow, no wacky maneuvers…just straight in and land while we cover you. The Skull will be in the air at all times over your position, and Security and Medical teams at Base Delta are on ready alert standby."

Rick stood up and screwed up his nose. "Isn't this a little much, Baker?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned, sir. I wanted to do more but General Sterling said something about it being a minor miracle if you let me get away with this much." Baker let a small smirk form on his lips. "I'm guessing the General was right, sir."

Rick glanced to Miriya and smiled. "All right, Baker, let's go before it's time to come back." He looked down to Roy. "All set, buddy?" When Roy nodded eagerly Rick picked him up in his arms. He looked to Angie and said sincerely, "Good luck out there, Angie. Though I doubt you'll need it. Lisa told me that your flying record was superb." A sad light flashed in his eyes, but just for a second.

Angie saw the light and heard the genuineness in his voice. It felt like a small stab wound to her chest. "Thank you, sir." She avoided looking directly at him and turned to Roy. "I hope you have fun down on the planet, Roy."

Roy smiled, as did his father, and after Angie returned their smiles Rick Hunter turned and started walking towards a training Alpha.

Rick looked over to where Miriya was standing next to Baker having what seemed to be a rather animated, and one-sided conversation. Her back was to Rick so he couldn't see her face, but from the way her hair green locks flew about when she shook and nodded her head at Baker, Rick knew she was giving him the riot act about something. Rick couldn't help but be amused when he noticed that Baker was sweating profusely all of a sudden. _"Was that a cringe?"_, he asked himself amusedly. Without warning Baker stood up as straight as he could and gave Miriya a crisp salute. When she returned that salute a moment later, _"Did she hesitate on purpose?"_, he stood at attention for a moment and then took off like a scalded cat towards his Alpha. Miriya watched him go and Rick watched her. When she turned around to come towards him there was the oddest grin on her face and a slight swagger in her step.

When Miriya reached them Roy held out his arms for her to take him, which she did gladly. Rick adopted a suspicious look and asked, "General Sterling…what did you just do to that poor boy?"

Miriya's grin widened into a full-fledged and slightly guilty smile. "I just made sure that the young Commander understood the seriousness of the situation." At Rick's dubious look she added quietly, "I also told him that if anything happened I would be very upset." When Rick raised an eyebrow at her, she looked down to her feet and said quietly, "And I mentioned that when I get upset I…sometimes lose my temper, which has been known to lead to acts of physical violence."

She slowly raised her eyes to look at him and it took all of his will power to keep from laughing. As it was, all he could safely do was shake his head in amazement and turn to walk towards the Alpha. His control didn't last however, and as he took his second step towards the aircraft he broke out in a very loud laughter.

----------------------------------

Angie watched the Admiral as he got into his Alpha. He was still laughing about whatever it was that he and General Sterling were talking about. It felt really good to see and hear him laugh, though it did precious little to alleviate the tremendous weight of the guilt on her mind and soul.

She watched as Miriya Sterling, who was also laughing at whatever, helped the little boy up into the Alpha. Roy seemed like the kind of boy she would like to have….

She shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind. _"Focus, Angie!"_, she berated herself. _"Focus on the job. Clear your head and focus!"_

Angie took the extra time she had as Admiral Hunter and the Skull launched to recheck her Alpha and go over her plan to get onto the moon. She had just rehearsed it to herself when the announcement was made for all Griffin pilots to board their planes.

Angie took a deep breath, grabbed the ladder and climbed up into the Alpha, all the time muttering to herself, _"Focus, focus, focus…"_

----------------------------------

Sue decided not to wait until lunch to go and see Pullman. After checking in with Woods and telling him that the good doctor wanted to see her, she reluctantly made her way to the infirmary.

When she reached the main entrance to the Infirmary she stopped and looked at the doors. _"I so don't want to go in there"_, she thought apprehensively. She laughed to herself and added, _"That's an understatement if there ever was one."_ Finally, after several failed attempts and several deep, calming breaths, she opened the door and walked in. She told the nurse on duty who she was and why she was there, and a few moments later she was seated in the same examination room that she had been in the day before. Thankfully there was no sign of Jean Grant.

Sue sat on the bed and waited. Fortunately, she didn't have a lot of time to sit around and think about the unfairness of it all. She had just gotten comfortable when Dr. Pullman threw open the door and charged in.

He stopped when he saw her and narrowed his eyes as he tried to place her. He took a deep breath as though he was about to speak, but he abandoned whatever it was he was going to say and looked over to the chair that Angie sat in the day before. He pointed to the empty chair and then looked to Sue.

"Shouldn't there be someone there?" Before Sue could say anything he took a quick step towards her and announced, "I know you." Suddenly he turned towards the table and began looking for something.

Sue could hear him mumbling something as he continued to look for whatever it was he was looking for. Finally she heard what he was saying-"Chart."

She closed her eyes and said through clenched teeth, "In your hand…sir."

He stopped and looked at her for a moment, and then turned his attention to his left hand where Sue's chart was firmly clenched.

"So it is", he said nonchalantly. He opened it and looked inside. As he read what was inside he mumbled to himself. After a moment he looked up and said, "Your lip isn't bleeding."

As he leaned in for a closer look Sue said uncertainly, "No sir, it hasn't stopped totally, but it has slowed down a little."

Just as suddenly as he came towards a minute earlier, he backed away several steps. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and began reading again. After another couple of moments he closed the folder.

"Your lip's inability to heal properly is a result of a nasty infection you picked up." He focused on her lip and continued, "I am uncertain as to whether you picked up the infection when you injured the lip or afterwards." He looked into her eyes and ordered, "Tell me where, when and how it happened."

From the first moment that she met Pullman she assumed that he was a bumbling idiot, but his tone of voice and the way he looked into her eyes so powerfully forced her to see that she had been wrong about that. "As I said yesterday, sir, it happened almost a week ago, five or six days now. I was getting into my Alpha when I slipped and hit my lip on the plane's fuselage." Sue hesitated a moment when his eyes took on a contemplative look. "That's it, sir."

"Where were you when this happened, young lady?"

"On the hanger deck, sir", she said more carefully than she meant to. She watched the look on Pullman's face take on an air of skepticism. _"Damn. He's not buying it"_, she thought.

Pullman let loose his own little sigh and looked at her with a mixture of compassion and sympathy. When he spoke his voice was concerned and very clear. It surprised her.

"The truth would help me to figure out how you became inflicted with this infection and would facilitate your treatment, Commander. I would also like to know so that further infections of this type can be prevented." He lowered his voice and added, "Anything you tell me is confidential, Commander."

"_Not that confidential"_, Sue quipped to herself. "I don't understand what you mean, sir." She hoped her tone of voice would ensure no further comment from Pullman.

Pullman looked to the chart and sighed as he said, "Very well, Commander. I'm going to create a profile of the infection and check our database for any other instances of this type of infection. In the meantime, I've ordered some potent medication for you…please be sure to keep an eye out for any of the side effects that may occur. The nurse will provide you with a comprehensive list when she brings in your medication."

Sue squirmed a little. "Sir…I'm not particularly comfortable with needles."

For a moment he looked confused. "Needles? No more needles, Commander. The nurse will be bringing in some pills for you to take."

Despite the fact that a tremendous weight was lifted from her shoulders, she remained stoic and watched as Pullman wrote something in her chart.

"Very well", he announced suddenly. "Come back if you have any problems." A moment later he was out the door.

Twenty minutes later Sue Graham sat at her desk in her office in Fleet Intelligence and took the first of what appeared to be many pills. As she leaned back in her chair she thought of Angie and she looked to her clock. Any minute now Angie would land on the MED moon and check on their guest. All her doubts, fears and expressions of faith in Angie screamed through her head. It was then that someone knocked on her door.

The door opened a second later and Major Woods walked in. "How's the lip, Sue?"

"On the mend, sir", she responded as cheerfully as she could.

He nodded. "Good. I only have a minute before the Tirolians arrive to help me identify some residue we found on the shuttle wreckage."

He sat down in the visitor's chair and began to tell her about the surveillance operation in the Gormun Cluster, totally oblivious to the fact that his announcement had caused all the blood to drain from the face of Sue Graham.

----------------------------------

Lisa woke up, and for the first time since she had been imprisoned in the cave, she had a relatively peaceful night. She did have dreams and her thoughts were still littered with nauseating images Sue Graham, but the dreams were pleasant ones this time, with normal and happy endings instead of the shocking and hurtful ones to which she had become accustomed.

She stood up and stretched the kinks out of her sore and tender body. The thermal blanket on which she slept helped, but it was still a very uncomfortable bed. Her lower back was killing her. _"Oh Rick"_, she thought longingly. _"I could sure use one of those magical massages right about now."_ She continued to stretch until the aches in her muscles abated to a tolerable level, though she knew the only thing that would get rid of them completely would be getting out of the damn cave.

She walked around the cave for a few minutes, at least as far as she could with her leg chained to the wall. The shackle still hadn't budged so much as a millimeter. It was imperative that she stayed loose and limber in case an opportunity presented itself to her for an escape. She needed to be ready.

Lisa used one of the towelettes Graham left to clean herself up as best she could. _"I could really use a nice hot bath."_ She forced the thought away. The last thing she needed was to start lamenting the little things in her life that she missed…she had more than enough emotional distress to deal with when she thought about Rick and the many ways in which she missed him.

She looked over the remaining stores next to her, for lack of a better word, bed. She still had plenty of water and rations. The amount of water left surprised her; it seemed as though she were drinking a lot judging by how often she visited the portable waste unit.

"_Now what?"_, she asked herself. It was the part of her day that she feared the most. Her nightmares were cruel and incredibly painful, but she could rationalize them out. She didn't have any control over the nightmares. They would start out so pleasant and so warm and then turn into something so dark it hurt her immensely. It was her subconscious. Simply outside her power to control.

During the day however, it became worse. She had given up on the restraint. The only thing left to do was plan for an escape. Her logical and analytical mind went over all the situations and possibilities, and she had the most likely scenarios ready to implement at a moments notice. It was then that she turned her attention to Rick, Roy and her friends. She would think of them, remembering each and every detail about them. She would revisit her memories of them and laugh. After a while though, a sense of realism would set in and remind her that she may never see any of them again. It told her that she may never again be with her husband. She may never again feel his warm and gentle touch, taste his sweet and passionate kisses or feel his protective embrace.

Her heart would try to intervene and hold out hope, but Lisa couldn't really fight against logic. She knew the situation was grim and that Rick was in terrible danger. She also knew that there was precious little she could do about it.

She wiped the tears from her eyes. Her heart gave one final push to replace the hopelessness with faith that all would turn out for the best, and it finally succeeded. Her determination to return to her family rose above all the gloom and despair.

Just in time too…because it was then that she heard an Alpha come in for a landing not far from the cave.

----------------------------------

Angie finished the last of the maneuvers for her recertification and smiled. She flawlessly executed every maneuver.

Lieutenant Jenson's visor covered face appeared on her comm. screen. 'You nailed it Lieutenant…well done. It's my pleasure to recertify you for active flight status.'

Angie couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. "Thank you, Lieutenant…and thanks again for letting me come out here today."

'My pleasure, Lieutenant', came Jenson's voice. 'But if you really want to thank me, you'll call me first if you ever take up flying full time. You're a natural.'

Angie was uncomfortable with the praise being given to her, especially in light of what she had done, and what she was about to do. "Thank you again, Lieutenant. I'll do that."

Angie looked to the flight plan and her present position. She still had a few minutes before they were in range of the moon. She rehearsed her lines a few more times and opened the channel.

"Griffin Eight to Griffin Leader", she said as confidently as she could.

'Go ahead, Lieutenant.'

Angie took a deep breath and spoke as she slowly let it out. "I wondering if I could impose on you for another favor, Lieutenant." She glanced over her instruments and continued. "I haven't set foot on Terra firma in a little while…well, since we lost Admiral Hunter. Would it be okay if I landed on the MED moon and stretched my legs? I could really use some fresh, natural air." Angie crossed her fingers and waited.

'Go ahead, Angie. We'll finish our perimeter route. We'll be back here in about half an hour. Take your time. Just be careful. The last thing either of us needs is for something to happen and the brass to go crazy on us.'

Angie smiled at Jenson's comment. "Roger that, Lieutenant. I seem to be thanking you a lot lately."

Jenson's laughter filtered through the channel. 'No problem, Angie. We'll see you in thirty minutes or so. Griffin One out.'

Angie breathed a sigh of relief and vectored away from the patrol route towards the moon. She breached the atmosphere and entered the coordinates of the cave that Sue had given her into the navigational computer, and a few moments later she could see the cave and the small clearing. As she switched to Guardian configuration she could feel her heart beat faster and beads of sweat pop out all over her body. She had never been more thankful that flight suits were designed to keep perspiration from staying against a pilot's skin.

She set the Alpha down and opened the canopy. Angie looked up to the cave, forcing herself to keep her eyes open and not to close the canopy and take off. Her heart refused to slow down and she squirmed in her seat, suddenly very uncomfortable. _"Well"_, she thought sullenly, _"I guess there's only so much the flight suit can do."_

She reached over and engaged the encrypted locking system for the Alpha so that only she could fly it off the moon…just in case. A moment later she was on the ground and she took in the opportunity to take a deep breath of the natural air. There really wasn't a difference between the manufactured and recycled air of the SDF-3 and the naturally produced air of a planet…but it was just better.

Angie opened the compartment containing her bag and filters and slowly …reluctantly… walked up to the cave. When she reached the entrance she took out a small flashlight and pointed it inside. After several attempts to calm her breathing and slow her heartbeat, she took the plunge and walked inside.

----------------------------------

Rick and Miriya were watching Roy from underneath a rather large tree that sheltered them from the Tirolian sun. Rick was lying down on the grass on his right side with his right arm propping him up watching his son play in the playground at what had been his home for months: the Summer Camp. He faced Miriya, who sat cross-legged observing the goings on as well.

"He looks so happy", he said quietly.

There was sadness in his voice as well, and Miriya didn't miss it.

"I just feel so helpless, Miriya", he said unexpectantly. He closed his eyes and continued. "So many times over the years I was able to do so much. Win a battle, or save an innocent civilian, or whatever. I was even able to save her a number of times." He shook his head as he remembered. "Alaska Base…I mean I plucked her out from almost the center of a dying planet." He opened his eyes and looked to his friend with watery eyes. "Why couldn't I save her this time?"

Her heart ached for him. She knew that he would be able to answer that question if he were able to think without the interference of his emotions…without the burden of his terrible grief. She had been with him several times when he was still Skull Leader when someone asked him that very question. She drew on his very own words.

"There comes a time when no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try and no matter how much we want to help, it simply will not be enough. Just as wonderful and happy things happen in life, bad and terrible things will happen. We can only try our very best to help, and if we can't we have to try our best to deal with them." She looked into the blue eyes of Rick, the blue eyes that had become so dull and faded since Lisa's death. She watched as he processed what she had said, and after a minute he smiled.

"I actually said that, didn't I?" As she nodded his smile faded and he turned to watch Roy. "It's so much easier telling that to someone else than hearing someone say it to me though."

"Rick", she whispered. He turned back to her and she looked at him with all the sincerity she could summon. "I will tell you that I would have done anything to save Lisa. So would Max. It is who we are. I would even say that almost every member of the REF would have done anything to protect her life." She leaned over and put her hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing that you or I, or anyone, could have done. Nothing."

Rick reached up and patted her hand in appreciation. "I know", he said as she withdrew her hand. "It just doesn't make me feel any better."

"Nor I." Miriya turned her attention to Roy. He did indeed seem to be very happy.

Rick saw her look at his son. "I think I'll take him back to the ship, and tonight I'll ask him if he would like to come back down tomorrow for a few days. He likes it here so much with the other children. Max and Vince have already worked out some new security details for the camp, so he'd be safe. I'll see what he says."

"If he wants to stay with you?", she asked.

He smiled again. "Then he'll stay. I'll do whatever it takes to let him have some sort of happiness in his life."

"I know you will", said Miriya. They both paused for a moment to take in the sight of the Skull flying above them, looks of envy gracing both their faces. When they passed over Miriya got up and held out her hand to help Rick up. "Come, it is getting close to lunch, and I know that you have not yet eaten."

He took her hand and when she pulled him up he asked, "How did you know that I skipped breakfast?"

She flashed a brilliant smile and started walking towards Roy, saying over her shoulder, "I am a woman", followed by a brief laugh.

He stood there for a moment with is mouth wide open in surprise. Then he laughed as well and ran to catch up to her.

----------------------------------

Lisa waited for her company to come into the cave. The last time she had a visitor she could almost sense the evil in Sue Graham as she approached. Lisa knew it was her.

Not this time though.

The first thing Lisa saw was a silhouette against the light spilling in through the cave entrance. She could see that the person was female by the way she carried herself and the athletic looking curves underneath what had to be a flight suit. As Lisa's eyes moved up the athletic figure however, she realized that the person before her wasn't the woman who through some sort of mental deficiency had become her nemesis. This person had shorter hair that hugged her face for starters.

"_Angie?"_, Lisa asked herself.

Angie stepped farther into the cave and into the illumination provided by the lights Lisa had powered up.

Lisa sized up the young Lieutenant who she realized had been a fairly important figure in the plan to remove her from Rick's life. Lisa could see that Angie had a grimly determined look upon her face, a look that said she was trying very hard to do something that she wasn't particularly fond of doing. When Lisa caught sight of Angie's eyes, she saw something that gave her a little ray of hope: compassion. _"Then again"_, Lisa remembered, _"I used to think Angie was a good and honorable person."_

Angie had in her possession a large gym bag and a small stack of what Lisa recognized as SCLU filters.

"Admiral Hunter", came Angie's voice. It was so forced that she almost didn't recognize it as her own.

Angie's voice sounded strained to Lisa, and she realized that the look of compassion in her eyes was genuine. It was a chance. "Angie", replied Lisa in a courteous voice. "It's nice to see you."

Angie swallowed hard. Her grip tightened on the strap of the bag she carried, though she wasn't really aware of it. "I…I have some things for you, ma'am." Angie hesitated at the absurdity of talking to Lisa in such a respectful way after what she had done to her, but she couldn't help it. "Admiral, before you try to escape, I would like for you to know that I don't have a key for your restraint, and the Alpha's security system is engaged." As she spoke Angie couldn't look at the face of her Admiral.

Lisa had expected the security measures for the Alpha, and she suspected that Graham slept with the key to the shackles underneath her pillow. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood tall, much as she had when Sue had visited. She may have felt somewhat defeated, depressed and saddened, but she would be damned if she would let them know it.

Angie tried to move towards Lisa, but her legs refused the command from her brain. She closed her eyes and tried to reel it all in - her guilt, remorse and overwhelming need to fix the grievous wrong that she had helped to perpetrate on the woman standing before her – but she couldn't. Her eyes were watery when she opened them and looked at Lisa Hunter. She could see what Sue meant. Even days after her imprisonment, despite a dirty uniform and only barely ruffled appearance, Lisa Hunter still looked regal. She still looked every bit the Admiral to whom she swore an oath to obey and protect.

Angie's eyes fell upon the SCLU sitting in the corner and she focused her thoughts and energy on the task of servicing it. She walked slowly to it and knelt down. As she activated the filter incineration cycle, she noticed the power usage indicator to the right of the panel. _"Wow"_, thought Angie as the cycle continued, _"She's been using this a lot."_ A moment later the cycle finished and Angie opened the compartment to install one of the new filters. Her task completed she closed the small door and stood up, leaving the extra filters by the unit. Her brow furrowed as she thought about the SCLU. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lisa wince a little as she gently rubbed her back.

"Are you feeling okay, Admiral?" Again Angie questioned the ridiculous nature of her question. She was about to apologize for it when Lisa answered.

"I'll live…if Sue lets me", said Lisa tersely. She saw Angie grimace and knew that she had scored a point. Lisa now knew that Angie was the key. She softened her tone and said honestly, "I've had a bad back for a little while. I guess the thermal blanket isn't exactly what Jean would recommend for a bed. My stomach has been acting weird, but I guess being torn from those you love and locked in a cave on a dead moon will do that to you."

Angie swallowed the lump in her throat. When Lisa mentioned Jean Grant she nearly fainted. Jean meant so much to Angie, and the thought of Jean was almost enough to make her go and get the plasma rifle out of the Alpha to shoot the chain off of Lisa's foot.

Almost.

Angie, still avoiding looking into Lisa's eyes, walked to where the supply of water and food was situated. She took out the extra ration packs and water she brought, as well as the new supply of hygiene items. She stood up and finally looked into the eyes of Lisa Hunter. Angie was surprised to find kindness and sympathy in her green eyes. She had expected to find anger, fury and resentment there. _"But then, that's why she's to respected"_, realized Angie. _"She thinks of everyone else before herself."_

"I brought some fresh clothes for you, ma'am. I hope they fit." She looked down to the items and then stopped to listen as Lisa shook her leg so that the chain rattled. Angie looked to Lisa's leg and cursed on herself. Lisa couldn't change her pants if she had a shackle on her leg. Angie looked up to see an odd smile on Lisa's face, and she couldn't help but laugh at the morbid stupidity of the situation. "I'm sorry, Admiral", was all that Angie could manage.

Lisa gave Angie a dismissive wave and the smile vanished from her face. "Angie", began Lisa nervously, "can you do something for me?" When Angie nodded Lisa went on. "Can you tell me about Rick? How is he? How's he taking all of this?"

Angie turned away from Lisa as she remembered the look on Rick Hunter's face the day she visited him in his quarters; the pain in his eyes that day and the hollowness of his voice. "He's…he misses you, Admiral. He's hurt, and he misses you. The Sterlings and the Grants are almost always with him, but it's easy to see that he misses you." She turned to face Lisa and found some strength to add to her voice. "But you should have seen him yesterday at your service, Admiral." At Lisa's surprised look Angie added, "Yes, ma'am. Your memorial service was yesterday. He was so strong, Admiral. At the end he got up and talked about the pilots who…", Angie stopped as she realized what she was about to say. Instead she said, "He said you would be angry if he didn't do it. He never wavered, ma'am."

Lisa felt a tear leave her left eye and she turned so that Angie wouldn't see it wind it's way down her cheek. "And Roy?", she whispered.

Angie nodded. "He's amazing, Admiral. He was the strongest of them all. He never cried and he seemed to be the one helping everyone else. He's a very brave little boy."

Lisa turned to face Angie, straightened up and nodded once. "Thank you for that, Angie." With that Lisa turned and walked a step to where her water was being kept. She knelt down and opened up a bottle of water and took several sips.

Angie looked to Lisa with confusion in her mind and on her face. "Ma'am…aren't you going to ask me to help you? Tell me that I've done something horrible? Yell at me? Anything?"

Lisa smiled inwardly. She kept the bottle of water in her hand and stood to face Angie. "No, Angie. You know what you've done is wrong and hurtful to so many." She shrugged her shoulders slightly and continued, "What could I possibly say to add to that? Besides, I know you'll help me when you build up enough strength and courage to face Sue." Lisa allowed her eyes to soften, and when she continued her voice was gentle. "You're a good person, Angie…I've seen it in you. I've seen how you talk to people and how you get along with everyone you meet. I know you have a helpful soul, or you wouldn't have become a medic. It must have been very hard for you to go along with this, especially now knowing that people, your comrades, have died…not to mention the suffering of my family and friends. It must really be hurting you."

"You have know idea, Admiral", mumbled Angie. She looked towards Lisa, though she never actually focused on her. Lisa never asked, but Angie felt compelled to explain why she took part in her abduction and imprisonment. "I…I've been trying to justify this ever since it happened, Admiral." She found Lisa's eyes. "I can't. I can't look at you right here and right now and tell you that you deserve this. I know now that you don't." She took a deep breath and found a small sense of determination to explain it as best she could, though she had to look away from Lisa again. "I never had much of a family, Admiral, at least not until I met Andrea and Sue. They're all I've got. I can't put into words how much I owe them…how much I owe Sue." She chanced to glance at Lisa, and was again surprised to see understanding in her eyes. "When Sue asked me to do this, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. But then I thought about her and what she's done for me, and I couldn't say no. I wish I could have, especially after seeing Rick so distraught and you like this."

Angie closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them and spoke again her voice was reverent. "I never realized how important you are to people, Admiral, to people like Dr. Grant. Did you know she's the person in the universe I admire the most? She tutored me and encouraged me to go into medicine, and showed me a way to do it so I could still fly. I owe her as much as I owe Sue. Dr. Grant told me that she will never be the same without you, that with you gone so is a piece of her. I didn't like the sound of that, Admiral." Angie took a moment to hold back the tears that formed in her eyes again. "I wish I could take it all back, Admiral…I really do." She smiled a sad smile. "But I can't, can I? There's no way to do it. No matter how many times I run over it in my head, it all turns out badly." She brought her hand up held it beside her head around where her nose was. "I'm in it up to here, Admiral." She brought her hand down to rest by her side and waited.

Despite Angie's important role in her abduction, Lisa couldn't help but feel sorry for Angela Marques. She suspected that Angie did feel some sense of obligation to help Graham pull this off, but she also suspected that Angie's remorse and regret was a sure sign that Graham had done a fair amount of manipulating as well. "Angie, there's always a way out", she said softly.

Angie grunted and smiled sadly. As she shook her head she said, "It's too late, Admiral." Her watch alarm went off. "I have to go, Admiral."

Angie started to leave when Lisa called out her name. When she turned to regard her Admiral, she saw not the Admiral she saw before, but a very worried and concerned woman.

"Angie, think about what I said and…and don't let Sue hurt Rick or Roy." Lisa took a step towards Angie and willed the young Lieutenant to look into her eyes. "I don't care what she does to me, but promise me you will not let her hurt my husband and little boy…please."

The desperate concern in Lisa's voice was heart shattering for Angie.

"I promise", whispered Angie as she looked at Lisa. "I'm sorry, Admiral", she blurted out, and before Lisa could see the tears rolling down her cheeks Angie ran out of the cave towards her Alpha as though the cave were going to swallow her up and send her to the deepest depths of Hell.

As Lisa heard the Alpha power up, she let a small flare of hope go off in her heart. She could almost be certain that Angie would come around eventually and help her. Failing that, Lisa was absolutely certain that Angie would keep her promise to not allow Sue to hurt Rick and Roy…and that was the most important thing. She took a long sip of water out of her bottle and rubbed her back again. _"I wonder if Angie brought anything for a bad back"_, she said to herself.


	26. Chapter 26

Sorry for the delay everyone, but you know how it is. Thanks for the kind reviews everyone…I appreciate them deeply. Thanks once again goes to Adena who took the time and effort to be my beta for this. You're the best.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Rick landed the training Alpha on the hangar deck of the SDF-3 with an ease that demonstrated the wealth of experience he had at the controls of an aircraft. When the canopy was fully raised several moments later, he climbed out of the Alpha and waited at the bottom of the ladder to help his son get down.

Miriya carefully held onto Roy as he stepped out onto the ladder to begin his descent towards the deck. Rick reached up and picked the boy off the ladder and placed him gently on the deck. Roy looked tired to Rick, which wasn't really all that surprising. They had been on Tirol for nearly the entire day, and for most of that time Roy was bouncing around at top speeds. The only time he stopped playing with his friends was when it was time to eat.

Rick glanced up as Miriya began her climb down, just when her foot slipped and she began to fall backwards. Even as Miriya yelped in surprise he reached up with both of his hands and held Miriya up enough for her to regain her balance and reseat her foot on the rung of the ladder.

He breathed a deep sigh of relief as he brought his hands down, and his first thought was to check on Roy. He looked over to see his son watching him with an awed expression upon his face.

Miriya finally, and safely, set foot on the deck and turned to Rick. He was surprised to see that her cheeks had a hint of pink in them. He assumed that her embarrassment was caused by the fact that she had slipped in the first place. After all, she was even more experienced than he was in getting in and out of mecha.

Wrong.

From behind them came the amused yet accusing voice of Max. "Rick, can I ask you why your hands were on my wife's butt?"

The question only half registered in Rick's mind, even as he noticed the pink in Miriya's cheeks deepen. He turned to Max and said, "She slipped and I reached up to hold her up, Max."

Rick noticed that Max had a slight smirk on his face and his arms folded across his chest. "Really Max", he said. He turned to face the Alpha and assumed the position he had been in when he caught Miriya, with his hands up in the air about where they were when contact was made. He held his hands there and turned his head to face Max. "She slipped and I reached up like this and held her up." He turned to look at his hands and something in his mind clicked. He stood there, frozen as the realization of where his hands touched her came to him. His eyes opened wide, and he quickly brought his hands down by his side, almost as though he hoped that Max hadn't noticed it. He turned to Miriya, whose cheeks had almost returned to normal, then to Max who was by now grinning and then back to Miriya.

As his cheeks started to burn with embarrassment, he couldn't figure out who to apologize to first. In the end…it didn't matter. "I'm so sorry", he announced to the world at large. He reached his right hand up and scratched the back of his head. "I just heard Miriya call out and I automatically…"

Rick looked over to Max and was relieved to see that the General now had a wide smile on his face, though Rick could easily see that it was a smile of delight in seeing him so flustered. He looked over to Miriya who also had a smile on her face, but it was more of a sympathetic smile.

Rick decided it was best to quit before he got himself farther into trouble, as was the case most of the time when something embarrassing happened to him. He sighed and his shoulders slumped as he resigned himself to the inevitable jokes and wisecracks.

Max began a slow walk, pausing as he passed Rick and giving him a humorous glare, up to Miriya. When he reached her he kissed her cheek and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and reached over to pick up Roy. When she had him in her arms she looked to Roy and said, "Is it okay with you Roy if I take you home?"

Roy looked to his father, and after Rick nodded his permission Roy nodded to Miriya. Miriya hugged the little boy and started to walk across the deck.

She had only taken a couple of steps when she turned around to look at Rick with as neutral an expression as she could. "Rick, thank you for your…", she paused as if trying to find the right words and her green eyes started to dance with laughter, "… helping hands."

Before Rick could say anything in the lines of a defense, she whirled around, her green hair flowing around her, and walked off the hangar deck with Roy still in her arms.

Rick looked to Max with what he was sure was a mortified expression, only to have Max look back at him with a bright twinkle in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Boss. I saw the whole thing." He walked up to Rick and patted his arm. "I'd rather you'd do that than let her fall on her butt."

Rick released a breath of relief. He laughed as he said, "I don't think Lisa would be as forgiving as you if she had seen it."

Rick stopped laughing and felt the grief return. It had been relatively at ease for the whole day. He was so caught up in watching Roy being so happy, it was almost as if the grief allowed him a small respite to enjoy it.

Max looked at Rick. He could see that Rick had realized what he had said and that it hurt him. Max, remembering what Jean told them, decided to go with it. "I think that if Lisa had seen that, it would have been you with your ass on the deck." He waited to see how Rick would react and much to his relief, when Rick looked at him he was smiling.

Rick nodded slowly. "You're probably right about that, Max", he said softly and a half-smile came to his lips. He took a deep breath and widened his smile as he added, "In fact, I know you're right."

Max watched as Rick looked to the Alpha he had just flown, and after a second he stepped closer to it. Max wasn't sure what Rick was up to, that is until Rick reached up to touch the fuselage, bowing his head and closing his eyes as he did so. _"The decal"_, thought Max sadly. Rick had reached up to touch the Chief's decal as though it was a part of Lisa. _"Perhaps it is"_, realized Max.

Max stood still, allowing the man he thought of as a brother the time he needed. Max would wait as long as he had to. He would wait until Rick was ready though he didn't have to wait long. Rick leaned in to whisper something to the Alpha, or so Max thought.

Rick turned to Max and said with a forced cheerfulness, "Let's go, old friend."

Max nodded and they walked across the deck returning the salutes and greetings that they received. They continued that pattern as they walked the corridors of the ship towards Rick's quarters.

For the entire trip they walked in relative silence, except for the words that Rick whispered on the hangar deck ringing in Max's ears…_"I love you, Lisa. Thank you for watching over us."_

----------------------------------

Angie looked into the mirror and couldn't help but wince at the sight of her haggard looking reflection. The trip back from the moon had been uneventful and she had managed to keep her emotions in check, though they threatened constantly to bubble to the surface. Even when Jenson called her over the tac net to ask if she was okay and Angie heard the concern in her voice, she managed, barely, to keep her voice from cracking as she lied and told the Lieutenant that she was fine. Then on the hangar deck when Jenson congratulated her on a job well done, Angie managed to maintain a most professional attitude and appearance.

So it was through the flight debriefing as well. Ordinarily the debriefing was held between the flight leader and the higher ups if nothing out of the ordinary happened, but because this was Angie's recertification flight, she was included. When Angie walked out of the mini-conference room and back onto the hangar deck, she was relieved to see that Admiral Hunter was nowhere to be seen. She had been having a hard enough time from seeing his haunting image everywhere she looked, but seeing him in person brought her to the brink of physical sickness and emotional collapse. When he came over to her on the hangar deck before her flight, she was almost tempted to tell him the whole thing then and there. It was probably her mortification at being so surprised that kept her silent.

She then walked to her quarters after the debriefing session, keenly aware of the thankfully ordinary obligatory glances and greetings she received from those crewmembers she passed in the corridors. There were no suspicious glares. There were no wary greetings. Just the usual. She walked into her quarters and closed the door, leaning back against it after it closed tight. Her hands came up to rub her eyes, and then moved to rub her achy neck. She waited for the guilt to take charge and ravage her mind and body.

It declined. Mercifully.

She looked again to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. The signs of immense stress were becoming more pronounced by the hour, so it seemed. She was surprised that no one had actually mentioned it to her. It was why she had been carefully avoiding Jean Grant for the last couple of days…that and seeing Dr. Grant so sad over the loss of her very good friend cut Angie like a knife.

At the thought of Jean Grant she closed her eyes tight as a sob began to rise in her chest towards her mouth in an attempt to make a rather loud escape, but she managed to cut it off as it reached her throat.

She opened her eyes and sighed. She was shocked to see that Sue hadn't been waiting for her and even more shocked that Sue hadn't at least left some messages for her. While she felt surprised by that, she couldn't help but feel a little comforted by the little bit of peace that she had been able to find. That is peace as in 'peace and quiet', not 'inner peace'. Angie doubted that she would ever find inner peace again. She had a little time until Sue got off work, so Angie thought her best course of action would be to have a nice relaxing shower before she saw Sue and the inquisition began.

Angie took the zipper of her flight suit in her hand and slowly pulled it downward. It seemed that everything happened slowly for her these days. She didn't really know why it seemed that way, although her leading theory was that her mind was cruelly slowing everything down for her just in an effort to make her suffer for the misdeeds she had carried out.

A couple of minutes later she stepped into the shower, savoring the hotter than usual water as it gently bombarded her body. Unfortunately for Angie, the rising steam became the perfect canvas for her guilt-ridden soul to paint for her reminders of what she had done. She stood in the middle of her shower as her eyes began to glaze over and despite the hot water, Angie felt a chill come over her as the memories came in rapid succession: Lisa Hunter saluting her when they first met; Rick and Lisa on the hangar deck unabashedly showing their love for one another; Rick and Roy at the memorial service trying with all their might to be strong; Lisa chained to the wall of that dark and dingy cave yet still conveying a sense of authority and strength; the faces of the pilots who died in the explosion she arranged; and finally the pleading eyes of Lisa Hunter when she asked Angie to keep Sue from hurting Rick and Roy.

Angie closed her eyes and shook her head and moved forward, shaking her hands wildly through the steam. Her hands finally hit the wall at the front of the shower and she slowly opened her eyes.

She reached up with both her hands and latched onto the showerhead protruding from the wall and bowed her head forward. As the water cascaded down her bare back and legs onto the bottom of the shower and made it's way to the drain, Angie's tears mingled with the water as she cried without any inhibition whatsoever.

----------------------------------

Sue stood next to the main communications console in the middle of Fleet Intelligence and watched the gathering out of the corner of her eye as she pretended to look down at the report in her hands. Woods was having his meeting in the conference room at the very far end of Fleet Intelligence, and even though the door was partly closed, she could see that the conversation inside the room was intensely animated.

Woods was keeping almost everyone in the dark about any leads in the investigation, including her. Being out of the loop was driving her insane like almost nothing else could. A few hours earlier Major Woods came into her office and let it out that some sort of residue had been found on some of the shuttle wreckage. She didn't dare ask him what kind of residue, or any other question pertaining to the investigation for that matter. Sure, she could disguise any inquiries into the investigation as professional interest, but she really couldn't afford at this point in time to risk drawing attention to herself.

Sue Graham really hated not knowing.

She had been waiting ever since then for the chance, as slim as she knew it was, to glean some sort of idea as to where the investigation was and what this residue was about. She waited and she watched for the Tirolians to arrive and was surprised, sickened really when she realized the most senior member of the Tirolian group was the chief of their research and development program, responsible primarily for the area of explosives. She didn't recognize the other two Tirolians, but she knew from their uniform insignias that both were intelligence officers…very high ranking intelligence officers.

Woods was standing by the table, and his usually calm and jovial demeanor had given way to one of frustration and anger. He was listening to someone, she couldn't tell who as they were hidden behind the door, and he obviously didn't like what they were saying.

Sue stayed very still, trying not to draw attention to the fact that she hadn't moved from her spot for a couple of minutes.

Woods was handed a report which he began to read immediately. Over the next couple of minutes he flipped through page after page in the report. He looked up and spoke, and a second later a blond haired woman she recognized as the Assistant Chief Engineer, Commander Fraser, walked up to stand beside Woods. Woods pointed to something on the page he had stopped at and spoke to Fraser, who shook her head and spoke back, presumably answering a question from Woods. When Commander Fraser finished speaking, Woods glared at each person around the table with a look of absolute fury.

Woods began to shout something but stopped. He looked to the door, apparently only then realizing it was open. He walked to the door, grabbed it and slammed it shut with a force that reverberated throughout the deck.

Sue winced as though she were standing right next to the door. She closed the folder she had in her hands and looked to the door, silently fuming over her opportunity being ruined before she could learn anything important. She was still glaring at the door when she heard someone quietly clear their throat behind her.

"I've never seen him so pissed at anyone or anything before", said the voice.

She turned around to see one of Woods' long time intelligence officers, Lieutenant Commander Dora Baxter, looking at the door as well. Sue never had much in the way of contact with Baxter, but from what little she did have and from what others, particularly Woods, had said about her, she was a capable and friendly officer. Sue could see concern in her blue eyes which Sue realized, for some reason, really complimented her natural blond hair.

"I haven't either", replied Sue. She shrugged her shoulders and added, "Must be something really serious." Sue smiled at her fellow officer and started to walk to her office, realizing a moment later that Baxter had fallen into step beside her.

"Rumor has it that they found some sort of, ah, residue in the shuttle wreckage", whispered Baxter a little tentatively.

Sue resisted the urge to stop and grab Baxter by her shoulders and shake more information out of her. Instead she slowed her pace and said softly, "That's what I heard too."

Baxter seemed to hesitate but finally asked, "Is that all you heard, Commander?"

Sue stopped and turned to face Baxter. "I'm afraid it is", said Sue quietly. She could see the disappointment in her eyes, so she felt safe in asking her next question. "What about you?"

Baxter quickly glanced around to make sure that no one was close enough to listen. "I heard the Major talking to Captain Grant this morning." She gave the immediate area another quick scan and then leaned in closer to Sue. "An engineer found a blue stain on the underside of one of the shuttle seats. He didn't know what it was, but one of the Tirolians helping with the investigation did." She looked to the closed door of the conference room and added, "That's when these guys got the call."

Sue had a hard time keeping a straight face, and she had to swallow the lump in her throat twice before she could speak. "A stain? A blue stain?"

Baxter nodded. "I was hoping you knew something about it."

"Why would I know anything about a blue stain?", asked Sue harshly. When she saw Baxter open her eyes in surprise, Sue reigned in her own shock at the information she had just been given. "Sorry, Commander. It's been a long week. I didn't even know that much." Sue adopted a contemplative look. "What possible significance could a blue stain have?"

"I was hoping you'd have an idea, Commander", said a deflated Baxter. She looked to Sue. "If you hear anything…"

"I'll let you know", finished Sue. "You'll do the same?"

Baxter smiled. "Absolutely. I better head back to my office, Commander. I'll see you later."

"Absolutely." Sue watched as Baxter walked away, pleased that she had been able to obtain some information, but extremely irritated by what that information was. Sue glanced once more at the conference room door and then turned and entered her own office. She closed the door and sat down heavily in her chair. The chair had seemed incredibly relaxing when she first sat in it after transferring to Fleet Intelligence, but lately it was getting harder and harder to find any sense of comfort in it, and it had little to do with the sore spot on the right cheek.

Sue was running over what Baxter had said. _"A blue stain on a seat"_, she repeated. _"Angie said she placed the bomb underneath a seat cushion, but Vidam said the explosive was untraceable. He said it was undetectable."_

Her first thought was that Vidam, the rogue Tirolian Intelligence officer she received the explosives from, had lied to her. But what possible reason could he have for doing so? He didn't know her well enough to want to get her in trouble. In fact he didn't know her at all. She had disguised herself as best she could. And Vidam was most definitely a rogue agent with allegiance only to himself…there was no doubt about that. There was no way it was some sort of setup or sting. If it was, they'd have stopped her or arrested her by now.

Sue narrowed her eyes in contemplation. She tried desperately to think of what else it could possibly be. Some sort of paint stain? No, nothing in the shuttle interior was painted blue. Ink? Doubtful. Some sort of drink spillage? The only drink Sue could think of that was served on the shuttle was tea or coffee, neither of which would leave a blue stain. She thought through the drinks she had seen on board the ship, and the only blue one she could remember was an alcoholic drink that wouldn't be permitted on the shuttle.

"_It's something silly, Sue"_, she thought to herself reassuringly. _"Something was wasted and the stain is still there. Simple."_ She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _"And even if it is some residue from the explosive, they can't trace it back to me."_ She shook her head in a show of confidence. _"Not a chance."_

She looked to the clock and realized with some amazement that Angie hadn't entered her mind for a while. She reached down and typed the necessary commands into her computer to check for any messages, but found only work related items…nothing from Angie.

She looked again to the clock. _"Ten minutes left"_, she thought. _"Ten more minutes and then I'll go and see Angie."_

Ten minutes never seemed so long, especially when she saw a blood drop suddenly appear on her desk, right under where her lip was situated…

----------------------------------

It took Angie a long time to tear her hands from the showerhead and finish her shower. A very long time. When she finally got out of the shower and into a comfortable pair of sweats, she found a message waiting for her from Jean Grant. She sat down at her computer and read the message, and as she read the text her eyes opened wide in surprise.

"_Temporary transfer"_, she repeated to herself. Angie leaned back in the chair and tiredly rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted and the thought occurred to her that she was either dreaming or seeing things so she read it again out loud.

"Angie. The _Hermes_ is short on medical staff and needs some short-term replacements. You're the most experienced medic on the ship so I would like to temporarily transfer you to the _Hermes_ until their permanent personnel arrive from training courses on Tirol. It would only be for a few days a week at the most, but I need to know ASAP. Jean Grant."

She leaned forward to read the note from Jean one more time. She had no idea what to do. She kept her gaze on the letter from Jean, but the words became fuzzy and out of focus as she tried to figure it out. More confusing than anything was the assortment of feelings that she felt at the thought of leaving the ship, even if only for a while.

Her fears about what would happen and could happen flashed foremost in her mind. First she would not be around to keep Sue from throwing her to the wolves. Angie knew that Sue's ability to look out for herself was one of her strongest traits. It was even one of the things that Angie actually admired about Sue. Her second fear was closely related to the self-preservation nature of her first fear. If she left the ship it would leave Sue without someone she could depend on for help should the need arise. After all, if Sue went down she would be going down as well. Third, if Angie weren't on the ship there was no way she could keep the promise that she made to Admiral Hunter to make sure that Sue did nothing to harm Rick or Roy Hunter. As odd as it sounded, she desperately wanted, and perhaps needed, to keep that promise.

Angie reached for the keyboard, and as she typed a response for Jean she read out loud: "Dr. Grant. While I appreciate the faith you are showing in my abilities by asking me to take this assignment, I must respectfully decli…"

For some reason that she didn't yet understand, Angie stopped typing.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt a measure of joy and anticipation at the thought of being somewhere else. There was no doubt in her mind that being away from Sue could be dangerous, but there was also little doubt that it could do Angie some good as well. Seeing Sue was a glaring reminder that somewhere in her being there was an ability to do evil things, and that hurt her deeply. There was also something to be said for having some time away from the haunting eyes of Rick Hunter. She saw terrible pain in those eyes, and the person inside of her that wanted to help people wanted to help him too. The only way to do that however was to tell him everything which would land her in prison…or worse. With that in mind, time away from Admiral Hunter was very appealing indeed.

Angie shook her head. There was no way she could leave. She looked back to the screen and continued with her message. "…I must respectfully decline the assignment to the _Hermes_ as it would take me away from…"

Again her mind went back to her fears about leaving, followed by the overwhelming need and want to get away from Sue, Rick and the mess she had gotten herself into. For several more minutes those opposing forces jockeyed for position, with her going back and forth between going and not going. Finally, the need for a respite finally won out. She looked to her keyboard, hit the delete button and erased the partial message on the screen.

This time she began an acceptance letter to Jean, but after a few keystrokes she abandoned the attempt and picked up the communication headset. She dialed the number for the Infirmary and asked for Jean, who came on the line a moment later.

"Hi, Dr. Grant…it's Angie." She listened to Jean for a moment and then said, "Absolutely, Doctor. When do I leave?" Again she listened, this time she smiled as Jean spoke to her. "Tomorrow morning? No, Doctor, that's no trouble at all. I'll be ready. Thank you, Dr. Grant."

Angie replaced the headset and placed both her hands behind her neck as she strolled across the living room to her bedroom. _"It's just what the doctor ordered"_, she thought to herself with a smile. Her smile faded quickly though as she realized she needed to figure out how to break the news to the visitor she was expecting to pound on her door any minute.

----------------------------------

Rick sat at the table in his quarters and watched with a sense of melancholy as his son triumphantly raised his arms after once again defeating Max in a game of checkers. It was rigged of course. Max always lost to Roy, though Max always gave the perfect appearance of someone who lost when they shouldn't have and couldn't figure out why. Miriya had gone home to freshen up and relax…as he ordered.

Rick sat in silence as he watched the epic battle between his son and best friend, trying to figure out why he couldn't bring himself to feel any happiness at the sight. It didn't take him long to realize it though. Like everything else in the last few days, the fact that Lisa had taught Roy how to play checkers glared at him like the twin suns of Geridon.

"_Get a grip, Hunter"_, he chided himself. _"If a little game of checkers does this to you what's going to happen when something serious happens?"_

Yet that was the very heart of the matter. Everything was serious when it came to Lisa. Her death made it so. The tiniest little thing, like Roy playing checkers, was a reminder that she was gone. He shook his head at the realization that every minute of every day for the rest of his life would be a struggle to keep those memories and feelings under control.

"Daddy I won!", came Roy's excited voice.

Rick forced a smile on his face as he responded. "I saw, buddy. You're still the champ." Roy smiled widely at his comment, as did Max.

"Still the champ", echoed Max with an air of resignation. He slumped his shoulders and added, "I don't think I'll ever be able to beat you, little man."

As Max hung his head and reset the pieces on the checkerboard, Roy got up and walked over to him. He placed his tiny hand on Max's shoulder, and when Max looked at him Roy smiled broadly and said in a reassuring voice, "Don't worry, Uncle Max. You'll win someday."

Max laughed and was about to challenge Roy to a rematch when a knock sounded on the door. Max started to get up to get it but sat back down when Rick got up himself and started for the door.

Rick opened the door and stepped aside to allow their guest to come in. Jean walked in carrying a tray that nearly over flowed with food. She entered without a word, concentrating instead on not wasting anything off the tray, or dropping it all together. Finally, and with an enormous sigh of relief, Jean set the tray down on the table. She looked to Rick and said, not all that jokingly, "I really didn't think I was going to make it."

Rick stood next to Jean, his eyes open wide with wonder. "And just what do you suppose we're going to do with all this food, Doctor?"

Jean looked at Rick with an expression that told him that she was hoping he would ask that very question. "Well Admiral…we begin by eating it. After that, who knows?"

As she went into the kitchen Rick looked over to Max, who just shrugged his shoulders. When Jean returned she had in her hands an assortment of plates and cutlery. She placed the items on the table, stood back and pointed to the table.

"Dig in, Admiral."

Rick lifted an eyebrow and said, "I'm not hungry, Jean, but thanks." Before Jean could say anything, he turned to Roy and asked, "How about you, buddy? Hungry?"

Roy nodded and Max picked him up, making Roy yelp in surprise. Max brought the boy over and placed him gently onto one of the chairs. As Roy picked up one of the many sandwiches on the tray, the adults moved over into the living room proper. Jean was the first to speak.

"How are you doing, Rick?", she asked quietly.

Rick smiled appreciatively at the concern in her voice. "I'm fine, Jean." He looked over to Roy, then back to Jean. "We had a good time today. Roy had lots of fun, and that made me happy. I'm going to ask him if he wants to back to Tirol to stay or if he wants to stay here for a little longer."

Jean nodded her understanding. "Do you think he'll want to go down to the planet?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not certain, but he seemed to really enjoy it there today with all of his friends. I just want to give him the option."

The three friends fell silent as they watched Roy for a moment, and then Jean spoke again. "So what did you guys do on Tirol?"

Rick told Jean about their day in detail, about being at the playground and visiting Roy's many friends. When Rick was finished he turned to watch Roy again, but turned back to Max when he spoke up.

"And then Rick took the opportunity to grope my wife's behind", he said as though he were stating something as boring as the weather.

Rick felt the burn in his cheeks, Jean's eyes bulged open in shock and Max smiled triumphantly at eliciting those amusing reactions from his friends. After letting them both stew for a moment he explained it to Jean.

"Miriya slipped getting out of the Alpha and Rick helped her out by holding her up." As he finished he held his hands up, mimicking Rick's pose at that fateful moment.

Jean held her right hand to her lips in an effort to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape. She looked over to Rick who was still blushing furiously at the whole situation and was rubbing his head in frustration, as he often did in comparable situations.

Rick lowered his arm to his side and decided to try to head of any more embarrassment by changing the subject. "Roy met Angie today, Jean. She was getting ready for her recertification flight when we saw her on the flight deck. He said on the way down that he likes her."

"I'm not surprised that Roy would like her", said Jean, a warm smile gracing her face as she thought of her subordinate. "She was recertified by the way."

Rick nodded confidently. "I had no doubt that she would be."

"She's a good medic and a great person", said Jean affectionately. "I'm going to miss her."

Rick turned quickly to Jean. "Miss her?"

Jean smiled reassuringly at Rick. "I'm transferring her to the _Hermes_ for a few days. They need some people to help out while they wait for some replacement personnel."

Relieved, Rick smiled back at Jean. Angela Marques was the last person to see Lisa and for some reason, having her around made him feel better, even if it was just a very tiny bit better. He couldn't really understand it. It's not like he knew Angie well. In fact all he knew about her was what Lisa had told him and a couple of little things that he heard Jean say. When he saw her as he walked out of Lisa's memorial service, her look gave him a sense of comfort and he had no idea why. It was doubly confusing considering the exact opposite reaction he had upon seeing Sue Graham standing next to her.

Taking the pause in the conversation as an opportunity to excuse himself, Max spoke up. "If it's okay with you, Boss, I'm going to head home and check on Miriya."

Rick adopted an irritated expression and said, "Yes, go home and bug Miriya for a while." Rick allowed a smile to slowly creep across his face and added appreciatively, "Thanks for everything, Max. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Max laughed softly and said, "You bet, Boss." He looked to Jean, "See you later, Jean."

"Bye Max", was Jean's cheerful reply.

"See you later, little man", he called to Roy. Roy, his mouth full, waved emphatically causing a ripple of laughter among Max, Rick and Jean. Max waved back to his nephew and then left to go and see the woman who made all the darkness go away.

When the door closed behind Max, Rick walked over to the table and scanned the tray but couldn't find the only thing that his stomach seemed remotely interested in.

He turned to Jean and asked, "How hard is it to get some pizza?"

"Rick", said Jean with an amused grin, "you're the Admiral." She went to the communications unit, punched in the appropriate sequence of numbers and turned to Rick as she waited for a response. "Hi", she said when her call was answered by someone in the Mess. "This is Dr. Grant calling for Admiral Hunter. We need a pizza…"

----------------------------------

Angie sat cross-legged on her couch, with her back resting against the arm of the couch. She used her slender index fingers to tuck her hair behind her ears and prepared herself to tell her company the news of her temporary transfer, though it was hard to concentrate on anything with Sue constantly wiping her lip.

When Sue arrived a half an hour earlier just as Angie was starting to pack, she barged right in and sat on the couch with an expectant look upon her face. There were no niceties or small talk. She was focused on Angie's visit to Admiral Hunter and nothing else, although Angie could see that Sue was troubled about something. So Angie obliged and told Sue about her trip to the moon. She told Sue how she went in and serviced the SCLU; how she gave Lisa Hunter the items she brought for her; and she told Sue about the conversation that they had…well, most of it anyway. She neglected to mention a few tidbits of the dialogue she had with the Admiral, especially her promise to keep Sue from hurting the Hunter men. In fact, Angie tried to give the impression that nothing happened and that the trip was a mundane affair. As Angie took a second to watch Graham as she digested the information, Angie could see that Sue was having trouble believing that, but Angie also suspected that Sue wouldn't push it.

She suspected correctly.

"Well", said Sue in the lines of a preamble, "that's great. I'm glad it went well, Angie." Sue lowered her voice. "I confess I was a little worried about what she would do and say, and how it would affect you."

Angie adopted a dubious expression. "A little worried?"

Sue looked at Angie, and seeing the look on her face couldn't help but laugh. "Alright…more than a little", she confessed.

"Don't worry, Sue. I was more than a little worried myself." She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "But it's over now and I'm fine. She's fine. We're fine. But there is something I have to tell you."

Sue lifted her eyebrows inquiringly and Angie placed her hands on her knees and began.

"Dr. Grant is sending me to the _Hermes _for a little while to help fill a shortage in their medical department. I leave tomorrow morning." Angie could see the anger and panic rapidly fill the hazel eyes of Sue Graham. Angie held up her left hand to stave off the impending onslaught of comments and questions. "It's only for a few days, Sue. The personnel replacements are finishing their training in the next couple of days."

Sue reached over with her left hand and slapped Angie's knee. "You scared the hell out of me, Angie!", she said angrily.

A part of Angie was actually pleased by that, and as she analyzed it she realized that was why she actually worded it that way. "I'm sorry, Sue. I didn't realize what I said until I saw your face."

"I'll forgive you this time", replied Sue, allowing a hint of forgiveness into her voice. She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "So you're going for a few days…that's not so bad." Sue got up off the couch and walked slowly around the room, finally stopping behind the recliner. She bent over enough to allow her elbows to rest on the back of the chair with her hands resting underneath her chin, her bloody tissue clenched in between her hands.

Angie watched Sue's sluggish jaunt around her living room, and her current pose confirmed that something was on her mind. Sue wasn't in the habit of being mopey or preoccupied. Then of course, she had taken all of Angie's news way too well.

"What's wrong, Sue?"

Sue had made a decision. Since she hadn't been able to find out with any certainty what Woods' blue stain was, there was no reason to burden Angie with the information. If the stain was some left over residue from the explosive Angie had planted on the shuttle, she would probably go berserk, or at the very least have some sort of emotional break down and want to give up. On the other hand, if the stain was something unrelated to the explosive, which was the theory that she personally subscribed to, then she would be getting Angie upset for no reason.

"Something at work", replied Sue finally, and not totally untruthfully she thought. "Nothing serious…just really irritating."

Angie looked at her friend. "Are you sure, Sue? You look upset."

"Of course I'm upset", said Sue calmly, and seizing the opportunity to score some points with Angie she added, "you're leaving me here alone." Before Angie could say anything she continued. "But I'm fine. Like you said, it's only for a few days." She lowered her eyes to the floor and said softly, "I'm just going to miss you, that's all."

"I'll be back before you know it", said Angie reassuringly, though she never totally believed Sue's story. "Are you sure…"

Sue looked up and smiled. "Positive. I'm going to go and let you pack." She headed for the door.

Angie got up and met her there. She leaned in close to Sue to regard her lip. "Are you taking your medicine correctly? That should be healing by now."

"Yes, Mom. I'm taking it exactly as was prescribed by Dr. Wacky-Pants." Sue laughed and added, "I'm fine. Let me know when you get back."

Angie nodded. "I will. Take care of that lip, Sue."

Sue nodded and reached over to give Angie a hug, which Angie returned. "Thanks, Angie."

Angie released Sue and smiled as Sue opened the door. As she backed out the door she said, "Have a safe trip, Angie." She was just starting to turn around to start walking to her quarters when she ran headlong into someone who had been walking down the corridor.

Angie watched as Sue got knocked backwards. She managed to catch herself by grabbing onto the doorframe of Angie's quarters, though her lip had taken a direct impact. Blood was flowing like a river from Sue's lip, rapidly covering the front of her uniform in crimson.

Angie rushed to her. "Sue!" Angie picked up the tissue that Sue dropped when the collision occurred and held to Sue's lip. It was obvious that Sue was disoriented, so Angie made sure that she was securely situated.

"Sue, can you hear me?"

Sue looked at her and nodded. She said something, but Angie couldn't understand a word of it because it was muffled by the tissue she was holding against Sue's lip. Angie adjusted the tissue so that Sue could speak freely.

"What the hell was that?", asked a dazed Sue.

"Sue, look at me." When Sue responded to her voice, Angie looked into her eyes. Sue's eyes finally focused on her and Angie knew that she'd be fine…more or less.

"Angie. What hit me?"

"I haven't gotten that far yet. If I let go can you keep standing?" When Sue gingerly nodded Angie let go and turned to see who it was that had collided with Sue, and the sight brought a very ill feeling to her stomach.

"Oh, crap", was all she could say as she went to help the person.

----------------------------------

As Max walked towards his quarters and his waiting wife, he thought about Rick. Max knew that Rick was tough and that he had bounced back from some pretty heavy hits in the time since they first met. The deaths of Roy and Ben and dozens of other examples immediately flooded Max's mind. Not once during those times did Max doubt that Rick wouldn't persevere. Never. But now…

He mentally shook the thoughts from his mind. It wasn't the first time recently that the thought had occurred to him, and the only time he voiced his concerns out loud he got a very hard verbal slap from his wife.

He was just beginning to smile to himself at the image of his wife lecturing him when he was given a body check that any professional hockey player would have admired. He never saw it coming, and as a result never had time to react.

Before he knew it the cold hard deck met his tailbone, then his back and finally the back of his head, bringing a kaleidoscope of stars to his eyes. He heard voices, but couldn't make out what they were saying. The voices sounded muffled, as though they were coming to him through water or a couple of bulkheads. All he could discern was that they were female voices. That realization hit his pride hard. _"Brought down by a lady, Max"_, he thought shamefully. _"Brought down hard too."_

Mercifully the stars began to fade and the voices began to clear. He could now pick out two distinct voices. He still couldn't place either of them, but they did sound vaguely familiar.

"Oh, crap" he heard one of the voices say, and a moment later he felt the presence of someone kneeling next to him. He gently turned his head as the voice spoke again. "General Sterling! Can you hear me, sir?"

Max blinked his eyes rapidly to try to clear the fog, and after a few seconds it began to lift out of his eyes. "Yes." He tried to sit up, but was held down.

"Don't try to get up, sir. Give it a minute to make sure you're okay."

Max felt the person feel around his head and he could see the person bend over to look into his eyes. "Lieutenant Marques?", he asked cautiously.

"Yes, sir. Recognizing me is a good sign. How's your vision, sir?"

Max tried to get his eyes to center on her, but his vision was still fuzzy. "The stars are gone, but everything is still fuzzy." He could see that she furrowed her brow, then open her eyes wide as she obviously thought of something. He watched as she reached across him and picked something up off the floor. A moment later she reached towards his face and slipped his glasses back into their usual position. "That's much better", he said after everything came into focus.

Max slowly turned his head and began moving his arms and legs, making sure everything was pain free and working as they should. After a few more moments of testing, he discovered that the only thing wrong with him was the fact that he was still lying on the deck…and he had a splitting headache.

He tried to sit up again, and this time he felt Angie put her hand on his back to help him. Finally in a sitting position, Max looked around and asked, "What did I hit?"

Angie shook her head. "Not what, sir. Who. You hit Commander Graham."

Max felt a sudden chill and looked past Angie to see Graham leaned back against the wall. The front of her uniform was covered with blood and she was holding a blood soaked tissue to her lip. _"Well, at least she got the worst of it"_, he thought with a sense of satisfaction. He should have been terribly sorry and should have felt genuine concern, and he would have if it had been anyone else.

"Can you get up, sir?", asked Angie, bringing him back to the issue of his own functionality.

"I think so, Lieutenant." He started to get up and gratefully accepted the assistance that Angie offered. When he was on his feet and made sure he was able to stand on his own, he looked to Graham. "Are you okay over there, Lieutenant Commander?"

Sue looked up, but didn't speak. She simply nodded.

Ever the gentleman, Max felt compelled to apologize, despite the fact that he was apologizing to Sue Graham. "I'm very sorry, Commander. I was lost in thought and didn't see you. You should go to the Infirmary and get checked out."

Sue was just about to tell Sterling what he could do when Angie interjected.

"I'll make sure she's taken care of, sir. Do you need any more help, sir?"

Max turned to Angie and for a second his field of vision included the both of them at the same time and he was reminded of Lisa's memorial service, when he saw them sitting together. It struck him as odd.

"No Lieutenant, thank you all the same. I think I have my sea legs back, as the saying goes." He regarded Angie more carefully. She seemed genuinely concerned for his well being, but it also seemed as though she was…nervous? Why would she be nervous? He wasn't sure, but the way she kept glancing towards Sue didn't bode well. "I better head home. Thank you again, Lieutenant."

Max took a couple of ginger steps towards home but stopped along side Sue. "I am sorry, Commander." He turned to Angie and nodded once, then turned around and headed for home…and an ice pack. As he walked, his mind drifted to the image of Sue and Angie standing shoulder to shoulder…

----------------------------------

Twenty minutes later Angie closed the door to Sue Graham's bedroom and walked out of her quarters altogether. She still had to pack and the shuttle to the _Hermes_ would be leaving very early in the morning.

Sue's lip was a mess. It was still bleeding when she left, but Sue assured her that it would be okay. Angie laughed to herself at the image of Sue lying down on her bed. The bleeding had been so bad that Sue put several towels on the bed where her head would be, put her hair up so it wouldn't get full of blood, took off her shirt and laid down with just her bra and pajama pants on. Angie had never seen the like. As it was, it didn't take long for the blood to trickle down her jaw onto her shoulder and the towels.

"_Of all the people to literally run into"_, thought Angie. _"She had to run into Max Sterling."_ She shook her head at the improbability and misfortune of it. The look that came to Sterling's eyes when he heard her tell him that he hit Sue was just chilling. What got to Angie the most though, was the way he looked at her as he was getting ready to leave. She couldn't tell if it was as a result of the solid hit that he took, or if it was something else, but he looked at her…suspiciously? _"Must be my imagination, or the knock Sue gave him."_

Angie got to her quarters and started packing. As she packed, she couldn't stop the relief from building at the thought of being away from Rick Hunter, Sue Graham, Max Sterling and hopefully the guilt, though she knew that would be too much to ask for.

----------------------------------

Lisa leaned back onto the thermal blanket and thought about Rick as she had done for every night of her captivity, and almost every night since she had fallen in love with him. She wondered what he was doing, where he was and who he was with. She wondered if Roy was with him or back on the planet and she wondered if they were okay. But most of all she wondered why, for the first time in years, she had a sudden ravenous hankering for pizza.


	27. Chapter 27

Haha…I'm back. Well, okay…I never really left, but real life, distractions and total loss of focus hampered my ability to successfully transcribe my thoughts into paper, so to speak. In other words, brain freeze.

Sorry it's been a while. I hope the rest will come more quickly than this one did.

Thanks Adena, my ever faithful beta. On the ball as always. 

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Major Timothy Woods sat at his desk in his Fleet Intelligence office in the late hours of one of the longest days of his life. 

For the first time in a very, very long time he regretted the fact that he didn't have someone to go home to. He didn't have someone to talk to about all of the things that ate at him; didn't have someone to vent all of his anger and frustrations to without having to worry about going too far or saying something he would regret; someone who would understand what the job was doing to him.

He had long ago made his peace with being alone in life. Even in the old days aboard the SDF-1 he was a slave to his work and his duty. 'Married to the service' was how one of his first commanding officers had described him, and in a very real sense it was true. It was the only time Woods ever allowed himself to think of marriage.

He always went in early and left late, if at all. More often than not he ate at his desk or station, a habit he had rarely broken over his long career. On more than one occasion the tiny couch in his office served as his bed.

The only family he ever had, his parents and two sisters, died in Dolza's massive assault on Earth. The loss, while tragic to him, didn't affect him as deeply as one might think. He left home as soon as he could and once he joined the RDF he'd all but severed his connection to them, only allowing himself the luxury of a birthday call and a Christmas card.

He had friends of course, very close friends even. But he never permitted himself to find that special someone with whom to spend the rest of his life, that special someone that he could talk to about those personal things that he couldn't talk about to a friend. Whenever a woman asked for some of his time or attention he declined, unless of course it was work related. He was never rude or mean about it. He just excused himself from the conversation and on occasion outright told the lady that he couldn't get involved with anyone. The one or two times when he'd let the barrier to a relationship slip and it looked like something romantic might bloom, he stepped away or pushed her away so he couldn't be distracted from his work. Again, he was always sensitive to the ladies' feelings and was never mean or rude. It just wasn't him to be rude to a lady.

Woods leaned back in his chair and wearily rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. It was definitely times like these that he could use someone he could trust to talk to.

He looked down to the preliminary report concerning the wreckage that was salvaged from Lisa Hunter's shuttle and the Alpha that was sabotaged on the planet. Just the sight of the folder almost made him want to kill someone.

It had been that kind of day.

The whole investigation into Lisa's murder was heading into a very dangerous and bizarre area.

It had only been days since the shuttle explosion, but with advances made through Robotechnology the investigation was proceeding very quickly. Advanced salvage equipment and techniques for example, made short work of the recovery of the destroyed shuttle and Alpha. Enhancements to scanners and sensing equipment were also big time savers, and their accuracy was flawless.

Add to that the extraordinary latitude that Woods had been given by the brass to figure this out meant that he had unlimited resources and was able to focus all of his energy on that task. In fact, every waking hour since the explosion that claimed the life of his Admiral and four Alpha pilots had been dedicated to finding the person or persons responsible. Every single, waking hour. Even during Admiral Hunter's memorial service he kept going over the information in his head.

The blue stain that had been found underneath the shuttle seat had been confirmed, finally, as being a top secret Tirolian explosive. A Tirolian explosive. Woods shook his head at the thought. It wasn't so much that it was a surprise that a Tirolian explosive was used, but it was that Woods nor any of the REF Intelligence and Ordnance officers knew nothing about this particular explosive. The explosive, called bintocite by the Tirolians was one of the Tirolian Security force's best kept secrets. It wasn't until remnants of the explosive were found that the Tirolians came clean about its existence and briefed Woods about it.

The fact that the Tirolians had kept the information about bintocite from the REF irritated Woods. Knowledge of the explosive was invaluable at the best of times, doubly so now that its presence had been confirmed among the shuttle wreckage. Still, part of him understood the reluctance of the Tirolians to share sensitive information on such a subject. The REF in fact was doing the exact same thing by withholding from the Tirolians, and even some of the Sentinel worlds, all information concerning the Shadow Fighter program.

At least the Tirolians came clean eventually. Bintocite, Woods was told, was practically undetectable under normal circumstances. Tests performed by the Tirolian Weapons Research scientists who invented the explosive, determined that the extreme incendiary nature of the substance totally eliminated all trace evidence of its presence in ninety-seven percent of the test cases. It was much to his chagrin to learn that alien scientists spoke in unnecessary tech talk as much as human scientists did. It took Fraser less than a minute to explain in simple English that the explosive burned away quickly and violently…except that is in vacuum. In space, the lack of oxygen made it possible for some of the explosive to survive, hence the residue found in the shuttle wreckage. He marveled at that for a moment. If the shuttle had blown up in the atmosphere, they still probably wouldn't have a clue about the bintocite.

Woods finally relented, picked up the report and opened it. He had it memorized by now, but seeing the words helped him to focus that extra little bit. He turned to the section on the Alpha that had been sabotaged on Base Alpha. A very sizeable amount of the Alpha had been recovered, minus of course the parts and sections that had been immediately incinerated by the blast. All of it had been thoroughly examined by REF and Tirolian engineers and scientists, with some expert advice from the Karbarrans. Even with the REF's most sensitive and powerful sensing and scanning equipment, they could find absolutely no evidence of any type of bomb or explosive.

The lack of any explosive remnants in the Alpha wreckage had become telling. Now that Woods knew of bintocite's existence and properties, he could safely deduce that bintocite was used to destroy the Alpha.

Besides the lack of physical evidence, one other thing supported that conclusion. Bintocite had been positively identified as being the explosive that destroyed Admiral Hunter's shuttle. If, as Woods believed, the Alpha explosion was meant to throw the base into chaos and force Admiral Hunter onto the doomed shuttle as part of her rapid evac plan, then surely the same explosive was used for both explosions. The perpetrators would hardly go through the extra time and effort of obtaining and planting any more explosives than was absolutely needed.

So Woods was fairly certain that he had part of the "how" figured out with the discovery of the bintocite. How it got onto an REF base was partially dependant on the "who", and Woods had a partial theory about that too.

He had pretty much abandoned the theory posited by some of his underlings that a xenophobic Tirolian terrorist group was responsible for the explosions. After talking with some of the Tirolian security officials he trusted and some extensive research, he concluded that the group wasn't who they were looking for.

The group, Woods had learned, was dedicated to keeping Tirol for Tirolians. Its profile indicated severe xenophobic tendencies and, in it's early existence, a propensity towards violence towards non-Tirolians. This violent tendency was what sent up the initial red flag for the REF Intelligence community.

What those officers failed to realize was that those violent actions were almost exclusively carried out by the group during the initial Invid attack on and occupation of Tirol.

Woods was incensed at the failure of the REF people who put forward the group as suspects to properly examine the group. He was beginning to think that perhaps he needed another set of eyes and ears that he could depend on to help him sort through the mess that this was becoming. Maybe Baxter or Graham.

He shook his head, making a mental note to think about that in the morning. He shifted his focus back to his reasons for dismissing the Tirolian group from the suspect list. The group, while still actively promoting their message of Tirol for Tirolians, had been relatively quiet during the years since the REF arrived on the planet. In fact they had resorted to mostly political pressure and peaceful protests to attempt to remove the REF from their home world.

There were however, still some extremist factions of the group that were still more than willing to resort to violence as a means to make their point. The violence however, was always directed towards REF property…mecha and the like. Never had they targeted REF personnel, or anyone else for that matter. There had been several instances where it seemed that the group even went to great lengths to ensure that there would be no casualties of any kind.

Woods thought about that. He figured that the group realized that hurting anyone would bring about a couple of things that they didn't want to happen. One, if any REF officers were hurt the REF would be forced to bring the full weight of their force down on the group in retaliation. Two, any harm to REF personnel would undoubtedly create sympathy for the REF amongst the populace. After all, it was the REF that liberated Tirol from the Invid. Along with sympathy for the REF, contempt would probably form towards the group responsible for hurting those who helped to free them from Invid oppression. So, they had nothing to gain from killing Lisa Hunter. Nothing, that is, but the wrath of the REF, and they sure as hell didn't want that.

No. They were out as suspects, as were all the other groups that had been on the preliminary list or had claimed responsibility.

Woods looked to the clock. 0225. How he really wished he had someone to talk to.

He sighed again and for the third time in as many hours forced himself to stop from reaching onto his desk to grab a lollipop. They were addictive and he was trying to cut back on the bloody things. People thought that he had them there to lull them into a false sense of security. What they didn't know was that it didn't start out that way. In the beginning, they were put there because he loved the damned things. It wasn't until later that he discovered their more sinister application.

_"Dangerous and bizarre for sure"_, thought the head of Fleet Intelligence, getting his mind off of the sugary treats. The more he discovered and the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that a human, or group of humans, was responsible for the destruction of the shuttle and five Alphas. Humans had committed murder against their own. Given the fact that the very vast majority of humans on Tirol were REF (there were some of course that entered civilian posts), it was nearly a statistical certainty that they were also REF officers.

If that turned out to be true, the damage to the REF would be extreme. Suspicion among comrades would run roughshod over confidence and morale. Rick Hunter would be devastated, and considering how hard he was taking his wife's death it could very well kill him to find out that one of his own officers, one of _Lisa's_ own officers, was responsible for her death. It would at the very least hurt him to the point of becoming ineffective as the ranking officer. If anything happened to him the REF command structure would suffer greatly. Rick and Lisa Hunter were what kept the REF together through the very trying times. To lose one of them was bad enough. If the second suffered, it would be catastrophic.

Woods shook his head again and threw the report back onto his desk. Max Sterling and Vince Grant were fine people and more than capable commanders, but it would be impossible to fill the void that would be left by the loss of both Rick and Lisa.

Tim Woods stood up from his desk and stretched out his aching back. These late nights were catching up to him more and more these days.

_"I'll have to tell him sooner or later"_, thought Woods tiredly. _"Or will I?"_

As he sat down on his couch, Woods went over the options available to him. He could keep all of this to himself until he had some tangible proof instead of theoretical conjecture. No, not an option. Too many people knew about most of the information by now, including Amanda Fraser. He could bypass Rick Hunter and inform Sterling or Grant.

Woods thought about this for a moment. Both Sterling and Grant had the necessary clearance, and being as close as they were to Admiral Hunter they could best judge how much to tell the Admiral. _"That's the way to go"_, Woods decided. He turned and lay down on the couch, letting his head rest on the pillow he always kept there.

In the morning he would inform General Sterling and Captain Grant of the investigation up to this point.

As he closed his eyes, Timothy Woods became all too aware of the pressure and the curse of his job, and not for the first time that night wished he had someone to talk to.

----------------------------------

Angie walked onto the hangar deck at a speed which would have betrayed her sense of urgency to those who knew her well. She was anxious to get away from the SDF-3 and the mess she had gotten herself into.

As she approached her designated shuttle for the trip to the _Hermes_, she realized that she was early…very early. It was 0725 hours and the shuttle wasn't due to leave until 0800 hours.

When she reached the shuttle, Angie gently dropped her bag next to the boarding ramp and looked around. The usual hustle and bustle of the hangar deck was absent in the early hours, with just a minimum of crewmembers going from Alpha to Alpha doing routine maintenance.

A couple of pilots from the Phoenix squadron walked by and exchanged pleasantries with her. Having been a pilot for a while she knew most of the older pilots from various squadrons, at least knew them to see them. She could probably count on her two hands the number of pilots she could actually strike up a meaningful conversation with.

Angie looked around for the Alpha that she had flown to the MED to see Admiral Hunter. Alpha 217 was on the far side of the deck, and from what Angie could see she was good to go. The temptation hit Angie to go to the Alpha and fly it back to the moon, apologize profusely to Lisa Hunter and bring her home to her husband, son and friends. The temptation however, could best be described as fleeting.

Angie stretched and stifled a yawn. Her sleep, if she could even call it sleep, had been broken and filled with dreams, none of them very good. She could remember three distinct dreams…at least she thought she could. One was where Sue turned into a dragon and Rick Hunter played the brave knight sent to destroy her. Angie stifled a giggle at the image that stuck out most in her mind, the image of her friend turned into a dragon and impaled by the lance of their commanding officer. Another dream focused on their dastardly deeds concerning Lisa Hunter. Only in that dream the end was shown to her, and it didn't bode well for her or Sue. At least they let her and Sue share a prison cell. The third dream was the most disturbing and it was the shortest. Only a few seconds long, and it featured the Hunter family, Rick, Lisa and the infant Roy apparently in their quarters.

Angie sat down on the mobile stairway used to board the shuttle. Her hands folded together on her knees and she thought about that dream. The three of them looked so incredibly happy that it brought a sickly feeling to Angie's stomach. She closed her eyes and willed the image to leave her, only to have her efforts interrupted by a child's innocent voice.

"Hello, Angie."

Angie's gaze focused on the small face in front of her, the tiny face of Roy Hunter. The smile that spread across her face was genuine and not surprising. From her very limited exposure to the young boy, she learned that she liked him very much. He was kind hearted, intelligent and very polite...just like his parents.

"Good morning, Roy", she responded warmly. "How are you this morning?"

He smiled a shy smile. "I'm fine." He brightened up a little as he added, "I'm going back to the planet today." The brightness left him just as quickly as it appeared. "I miss my friends."

Angie smiled sympathetically for the boy. She moved over on the step she was sitting on and patted next to her for Roy to sit. He seemed unsure at first, but after a moment he sat next to her.

"You have a lot of fun with your friends I bet." She saw a surprised look on Roy's face and laughed. "I remember what it's like to play with friends."

Roy's mouth turned downward into a frown. "Big people don't play much do they?"

The innocence in the question made Angie smile again. "Not as much as we did when we were your age. Big people mostly work, but we still play sometimes."

Roy considered this for a moment. "Do you miss your friends when you work?"

It took a considerable effort on Angie's part to keep the smile on her face and to keep the tears from her eyes. _"Such a simple question"_, she thought sadly. To Roy she said, "I don't have…" She stopped when she saw the expectant look on the child's face and realized that it was best not to burden him with the cold hard facts of her life. "Yes, I miss my friends." It wasn't a lie. She did indeed miss what she had with Sue and Andrea before their plot to rid the fleet of Roy's mother took control over the three of them.

She was about to try to change the subject when she was saved from the effort by Roy's father.

"Good morning, Angie", said Rick. She was about to stand up when he motioned for her to stay seated. He stood in front of her and Roy, giving a smile to his son before turning to Angie. "I understand you're leaving us for a few days."

"Yes, sir…a few days." She looked up and saw the still hollow eyes of the Admiral. She grabbed the rail of the mobile stairs and pulled herself up. "We leave in a little while."

"Don't let Captain Rosario or Dr. Gleason try to steal you away." He smiled as he spoke, but his tone left no doubt that he was serious. "They both love trying to shanghai the best of the best for the _Hermes_. We've lost many officers that way…you'd almost think they worked on commission over there." He lowered his voice. "Just remember, Angie, this is your home."

Angie was stunned by Rick's statement. She had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could trust herself to speak. "Thank you, sir. I…I really appreciate that."

Her CO smiled at her. It wasn't the smile she saw on his face the day she saw him and Lisa hug on the hanger deck, or the times she saw them at ship functions. It was a smile void of feeling. It wasn't that he didn't mean it, she realized, but he just couldn't bring himself to smile with any feeling. "You bet, Angie."

His gaze turned once again to his son. "Time for us to go, Buddy. All set?"

Roy stood up, and as he took his father's hand he turned to regard Angie. "Good bye, Angie."

She couldn't resist and gently smoothed the top of the boy's head as she responded. "Good bye, Roy. I hope you have lots of fun with your friends." She winked at him and added in a conspiring tone, "And I hope you don't get in any trouble."

Roy giggled at her wink and tone of voice, and he giggled in earnest when Rick hugged his son to his side and said in playful voice, "He better not get in trouble."

Angie laughed at the shenanigans of the Hunter men. As her laughter subsided something else maneuvered into her mind: the image of Lisa Hunter chained to a cave wall.

The image mercifully disappeared when she heard Rick tell Roy to go and ask Auntie Miriya to get him ready. By the time Angie shook herself out of her funk Roy was gone and Rick Hunter was looking at her thoughtfully. The look in his eyes put Angie more on edge than she already was.

"Are you okay, Angie?" He stepped closer to her and placed his right hand on her shoulder. Angie was surprised at the gentleness of the touch, and even more surprised at the comfort and support it instilled in her despite her own knowledge of what she had done to him.

She forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, sir. Thanks for asking, sir."

He nodded once and lowered his hand. "I understand you had a bit of excitement last night." At her perplexed look he added, "Something about a collision outside your quarters."

Realization dawned on her and she looked down at the deck, partly to hide the embarrassment in her cheeks and partly to avoid the massive grin on his. She should have known General Sterling would have told him about it.

She took a couple of breaths and slowly looked up to him. "Yes, sir." She gave him a weak smile. "It was a collision alright. Is the General okay, sir?"

His grin increased in proportion to become a smile. "He's fine. Bit of a headache, but he'll live." His eyes darkened and he asked tight lipped, "How's Commander Graham?"

Angie had to work hard to keep from moving away from him. The sudden change in his posture and his voice was almost terrifying. "Fine…sir, I think." Angie wanted the deck to open up and take her right then, or for flight control to announce that her shuttle was ready, or an invasion…anything to get her away from Rick Hunter. "I haven't seen or talked to her since last night, sir." The dark cloud that took up residence over the Admiral seemed to dissipate, much to Angie's relief.

"I see", responded Rick slowly. Behind him Roy giggled with delight as Miriya twirled him around the flight deck. Rick watched the scene for a moment and when he turned back to Angie he had a small smile on his lips. "I'd better get going before they take off without an Alpha. Have a safe trip, Angie."

Before he turned away and walked towards his son he held up his right index finger and said, "Remember what I said about Rosario and Gleason. You belong here."

With that Admiral Rick Hunter turned and walked away, leaving Angie open mouthed with surprise, his last three words echoing throughout her mind. _"You belong here."_

She sat back down on the stairs heavily, ignoring the protest of her tailbone as it hit the hard step, and fought back the tears as she shook her head. She knew that that was true once, but she also knew in her heart that she didn't belong here anymore.

----------------------------------

"What am I going to do, Doctor?", came the clipped inquiry.

"Well, I would definitely recommend refraining from colliding with Generals", came the response, apparently oblivious to the anxiety and curtness contained within the question.

Sue Graham was tired, sore and pissed off to the nth degree with Pullman. She had come here early in the hopes that one of the other doctors would be able to see her. At this point in time she would have even preferred to see Grant.

They were in an exam room, ironically enough the same one that she had been put in the last two visits, and she was once again sitting on the bed with her long legs hanging over the side. Her lip had stopped bleeding over night, but her bra, sheets and pillow were beyond ruined.

"Yes…sir, but…"

Pullman held up his hand to forestall anything she was going to say, and that only irritated her further, though she thought that would have been impossible. She watched, staring daggers into his back as he walked to the table and wrote something in her file.

The collision with Sterling had proven costly. Not only did it manage to destroy any progress her lip had made in regards to healing, which wasn't much, but also it necessitated a visit to someone who was already suspicious of her. She hated it, and wasn't above showing it.

"Doctor, I really must…"

"Are you under any stress?", he asked as his head turned to regard her.

Sue's eyes narrowed in concern at the question. "Stress? No, not any great amount", she lied. "Why?"

He looked back to her chart and rubbed his chin as he responded. "An increase in stress makes your heart beat faster, thereby increasing blood flow, which could hinder your lips ability to heal properly. That the infection is disabling your blood's natural clotting ability only makes it more important."

_"Damn"_, thought Sue. Between the Sterlings, Lisa Hunter and Angie she wasn't going to be stress free for a while, not until she was in Rick Hunter's life, or at the very least his bed. Her attention shot back to Pullman as he continued.

"You'll have to avoid any stress, Commander." He turned to look at her. "I would also increase the antibiotics you're taking…double the amount. The infection is weakening, but slowly." His eyes became very serious and his voice became heavy with warning. "These drugs are not to be taken lightly, young lady. They are very potent. I'm revoking your flight privileges until the medication is no longer needed. You may also feel moody, for lack of a better term. You may not. Drugs affect different people differently, but I would be remiss in my duty if I didn't tell you about the possibilities. The nurse will bring in more information about it." He put in his hands in the pockets of the white lab coat he was wearing and asked, "Any questions?"

"No, sir", was her tight reply. She wanted to get out of there and that was all.

If he noticed her animosity he didn't show it. "Very well. The nurse will be in a moment with your information. Come back if you have any more trouble." He picked up her chart from the table and left the room.

----------------------------------

Pullman walked to his office and sat himself down in his chair. He moved a few things around his cluttered desk to give him enough space to lay down Graham's chart. He noted that the flower that Jean Grant had given him needed some water before he turned his full attention to the printout of the infection profile.

Commander Graham's infection was something to be admired, if you were a virologist that is. It was stubbornly resilient and tenacious in its ability to withstand that best that he could throw at it.

He was fairly certain that her story about hitting her lip on her Alpha was hogwash. The evidence didn't fit. It was the wrong type of injury in the wrong place for that to have happened. No his young patient was being less than truthful in his opinion.

Then again, he had always been less than stellar when it came to gauging the intentions, feelings and attitudes of others. His trust in his senses and abilities as a physician was steadfast. He just had a hard time figuring out people. The science, he realized early in his career, rarely lied to him, though mutations and anomalies occasionally threw him for a loop. They were just that though…anomalies and mutations. Aberrations. Even their unpredictable results had a certain logic to it when the anomaly was realized.

People on the other hand, were replete with variables that made their predictability difficult and reading their true intentions nearly impossible. He had never been one to trust relationships, whether it was romantic or friendships. Jean Grant was his closest friend, though he realized that it was as a result of their exemplary professional relationship. It didn't matter to him. If their friendship was fostered because of their working together, so be it. That could hardly be considered odd, nor did it make the friendship any less important. On the contrary, both of them being believers in science only helped him to trust her.

Graham on the other hand…

The computer had taken its time in running the infection profile through the database, but when it was finally through crunching the numbers and analyzing the data, the result was suspect.

The computer found that the infection in Sue Graham's lip was identical to an infection that a security officer received during the ill fated MED. From the records that he had read, he found that the officer was thrown to the ground by a lightning strike and received a deep, dirt filled gash to his right forearm. The wound was cleaned and properly dressed by Dr. Grant, but less than twenty-four hours later the first signs of an infection began to appear.

Redness, swelling and discharge were the symptoms that manifested themselves early on. The characteristic that was unique to both infections, and was therefore responsible for the warning from the computer, was that the infection kept the wound from healing because of its ability to neutralize the body's natural coagulants.

Further research verified that the MED infection was in fact caused by bacteria in the soil of the MED moon. The soil itself was benign enough unless it was ingested or otherwise found itself into the bloodstream, via a cut for example. Even then it shouldn't be dangerous, unless of course it went untreated for an extended period of time.

The infection identified and the protocol for treating it being followed left one thing to be determined. How did an officer from Fleet Intelligence contract an infection that could only result from contact with bacteria found only on the MED moon?

He had no answers for that question. All he knew was that he most certainly didn't believe her story. At first he chalked it up to her being uncomfortable with him, as many people are when they first meet him. He even thought that perhaps she had been embarrassed by how she received the injury, or afraid to tell him for some reason. No, she lied to him for reasons that were yet to be determined.

He glanced at his desk, which for some reason seemed to be even more cluttered than before, and quashed the urge to open and read Sue Graham's personnel record again. He had already read it three times. With the exception of a rather hasty and somewhat unexpected transfer to Fleet Intelligence, nothing stood out about her career. According to her file, she was a fine REF officer. There was certainly no indication as to why she would lie to him or how she would have come in contact with the bacteria.

At first he considered the possibility that perhaps dust from the MED moon may have ended up on the Alpha during the MED and caused her infection. He realized that this was unlikely considering that it had been months since the MED and the Alpha would have been in space several times during those months. Vacuum and extreme cold would have taken care of the bacteria. The time issue, and the fact that no one else contracted the infection ruled out the possibility of contamination from other sources, like equipment or clothing. It just wasn't feasible. And besides, he just didn't believe the Alpha story from Graham, but being a scientific investigator meant that he had to cover everything.

If he didn't know better, he would have said that the young woman would have to have been on the moon recently. That was unlikely as the moon was declared off limits except for emergencies. He made a note in her chart to check with flight operations to see if any ships or personnel had been to the moon recently. He could have asked her he supposed, but he wasn't certain if he could really take anything she said at face value.

He also made a note to talk to Jean. She was the attending physician for the other infection. Perhaps she would have some insight into the bacteria and the treatment. Jean was also the only person he trusted enough to ask for help in figuring out Sue Graham. Perhaps she would have some insight into that as well.

He closed the chart, sat back in his chair and sighed. He looked to the flower on his desk and muttered, "Now my friend, let's see what we can so about saving you."

----------------------------------

Rick knelt down next to his son and turned the little boy so that he could look into Roy's eyes. Rick smiled as he brushed the hair away from Roy's eyes and Roy smiled back at him with the innocence and love that one would normally expect from a boy his age. More than that though, Roy's smile conveyed to Rick a strength that he knew should have been beyond Roy, but was there nonetheless.

Rick wasn't surprised at Roy's reaction the previous night when Rick asked him if he wanted to go back to Tirol. He was after all a little boy who needed fun and laughter in his life, and he would find very little of either on the ship. Rick, as unready as he was to do it, had to get back to work. He was now the most senior officer of the expeditionary force, responsible for so much that the longer he delayed in getting caught up on things, the harder it would be.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Buddy?", asked Rick. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder towards the exit of the Summer Camp as he added, "You can come back with us if you want."

"I'm sure, Daddy. I miss my friends." Roy's eyes became watery. "But I'm going to miss you too, Daddy."

Rick placed his right hand on Roy's cheek as he said softly, "I know, Buddy." He brought Roy closer to him and hugged him tightly. As Roy slipped his little arms around Rick's neck, Rick said, "I'll call you every night, okay? And if you need anything, you can call me. Uncle Max and Auntie Miriya, Uncle Vince and Auntie Jean are there for you too. We're never too far away if you need any of us."

Roy let go of Rick's neck and leaned back to look at Rick. The tears were gone, just like that. "Okay, Daddy."

"That's my boy", said Rick proudly. He looked beyond Roy and could see his friends impatiently milling about, apparently waiting for Roy to go inside. He hugged his son again and then stood up.

Roy looked over to where Miriya was standing. It occurred to Rick that she was probably as saddened as he was by Roy's departure from the ship. Miriya had always been close to Roy. It had been that way since Roy took with a crying fit when he was a few months old and the only time he would stop was when Miriya spoke to him in what had affectionately become known as her cuddly voice. Their relationship grew to the point where Miriya was who Roy would ask for after Rick and Lisa. Of course it helped that Miriya was so incredibly close to Lisa too.

Miriya knelt down and held out her arms for Roy, who walked slowly into her waiting hug. Rick could see the tear rolling down her delicate cheek. When Roy leaned back he saw the same tear that Rick observed, and the sweet little boy reached over and gently wiped it away with his little finger.

Miriya nodded a thank you to Roy, not trusting herself to verbalize it lest she start to cry properly. Roy nodded back and then turned and slowly walked away from his father and his aunt. When he reached the gate he turned and waved once.

Rick and Miriya, who had by then stood up, both waved back. A moment passed and Roy's name was called from inside the gate, and the little boy ran inside, happiness easily evident in his sprint.

Rick moved over to Miriya and put his arm around her shoulder. "He's going to be fine."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact.

Miriya smiled and said, "I agree."

"We should head back, I guess", said Rick in a tone that said that he didn't really want to leave.

"Yes." The same tone was evident in her response.

Rick smiled, gave Miriya a warm squeeze and started walking towards the exit. Miriya fell in step beside him and they walked to the vehicle he had commandeered when they landed. They drove back to the airfield of Base Delta in silence.

A short time later they stood at the bottom of the steps and Miriya looked at Rick. "Me or you?"

"Me", he responded and added quickly, "if you don't mind. There's something I'd like to do."

She smiled and nodded before climbing up into the student seat of the training Alpha. Rick climbed up a moment later, settling into the master cockpit. A few minutes later he had the Alpha flying in the blue skies of Tirol, approaching the Summer Camp at a cruising speed.

"Hang on, Miriya", he warned her.

She smiled widely as her hands found leverage and Rick initiated a series of barrel rolls over the camp.

----------------------------------

"Lt. Marques!", called a voice that Angie didn't recognize. She turned towards the voice and watched a woman walking across the flight deck of the _Hermes_ towards her. The woman was around Jean's age, a little taller but just as thin, with shoulder length red hair that was flowing behind her as she approached. _"Gleason or Rosario?"_, she wondered.

The woman finally reached Angie and she smiled warmly. "Lt. Marques, welcome aboard the _Hermes_." The woman held out her hand to Angie, and as Angie shook it she announced, "I'm Dr. Trina Gleason, the _Hermes'_ CMO." She released Angie's hand and pointed towards the hangar deck door. "If you'll follow me I'll show you to your quarters."

Angie nodded and picked up her bag. "Thank you, Doctor", she said as the woman started towards the door. Angie followed and when they entered the corridor Gleason waited for Angie to move up beside her and then she spoke.

"I hope you enjoy your stay, Lieutenant", Gleason began. She noticed Angie's sideways glance and small smile out of the corner of her eye. "Don't worry, Angie. Jean made it perfectly clear that your assignment here is temporary." Gleason gave a small laugh and added, "She said something about me keeping my hooks out of you. Jean is too suspicious for her own good."

"She can be protective over her friends and her staff", Angie conceded. "I couldn't ask for a better boss." Angie grinned and turned her head to regard Gleason. "No offence intended, ma'am."

Gleason laughed again and put her right hand on Angie's shoulder. "None taken, Lieutenant." She lowered her hand and leaned closer to Angie as they walked to ask a question. "How's Admiral Hunter doing, Angie?"

Angie lowered her voice. "About as well as can be expected, ma'am. But he's putting up a brave front, and he has friends to help him…good friends."

Gleason nodded knowingly. "The Sterlings and the Grants. I know them all from way back when. I knew Lisa Hunter too. She was a special type of lady."

Angie looked straight ahead, avoiding the sad green eyes of the older woman, and managed, "Yes, ma'am."

"Here we are", said Gleason a moment later as they stopped in front of a door. She opened the door and motioned Angie in.

When Angie got to the middle of the room she looked around. It was nearly identical to her quarters aboard the SDF-3, except there were none of the personal items there to indicate a resident.

Gleason remained next to the door, and when Angie lowered her bag to the deck she said, "The Captain told me to give you a little while to get settled then take you to the bridge to meet him. Half an hour okay, Lieutenant?"

Angie turned to face her and nodded in the affirmative. Gleason smiled and left Angie to get unpacked.

Angie took her bag into the bedroom when she heard the door open again. She walked out to see Gleason halfway through the door looking at her.

"There's a get together tonight, Lieutenant. It would be good chance for you to meet some people." She smiled wryly and added, "I have to tell you now while I remember."

"Thank you, Doctor." The older woman nodded and left again leaving Angie to think to her self, _"Great, just what I need…a party."_ She shook her head as she made her way back into the bedroom to unpack, hoping against hope that no other surprises awaited her aboard the _Hermes_.

Thirty-five minutes later Angie stood before Captain Anthony Rosario. He was talking to one of the bridge officers, giving Angie the opportunity to study the Captain.

He was perhaps six feet tall with a slim build; very short black hair and a thick moustache. Angie guessed his age to be early thirties, making him young for his position. What caught her attention the most however, was the way his blue eyes danced around. In the few minutes that Angie had observed him, his eyes never slowly went anywhere or he never casually glanced around. They danced from target to target and they appeared to be full of life and mirth.

It was a welcomed change for her for sure.

When those eyes turned to her and he began walking towards her Angie stood a little taller and had to keep herself from smiling at him.

He held out his hand and grasped hers gently. "Lieutenant Marques. It's a pleasure to meet you." He flashed her a very big smile and released her hand. He placed his hands on his hips and put a half scowl on his face. "I hear nothing but good things about you, Lieutenant…and they must all be true." He jerked his right thumb over his shoulder towards the communication station and then put his hand back on his hip. "That must be why I got a message from Admiral Hunter telling me not to use any of my usual recruiting skills on you. Said something about his ship being bigger than mine." He smiled again. "You must be special for Rick to call me personally. Usually he gets his department heads to call."

Gleason cleared her throat purposefully. "Dr. Grant has already made her and Admiral Hunter's views known, sir."

Rosario raised an eyebrow. "Rick and Jean." He let loose an appreciative whistle. "I take that back, Lieutenant…you must be very special."

Angie was sure her cheeks were beyond red, scarlet perhaps, if the burning sensation there was any indication. "Thank you, sir." She swallowed and added, "It's always nice to know that you're appreciated."

He laughed heartily at her comment. "Indeed it is, Lieutenant." He stepped closer to her and nodded towards Gleason. "I assume Dr. Gleason has you settled away?" At Angie's affirming nod he added, "You get to work tomorrow, but I thought that she could give you an orientation of the medical facilities and any procedures that may be different than what you're used to." He looked to Gleason with eyebrows raised. "Satisfactory, Doctor?"

"Of course, Captain", she responded good-naturedly. "That was the plan."

Rosario nodded once. "Very good. I'll let you get to it then. Ladies." He turned to walk away but stopped and faced them again. He eyed Gleason suspiciously. "I'm not going to have a whole bunch of security reports to read tomorrow because of this party tonight, am I?"

Angie could see the smile playing at his lips and heard the humor in Gleason's voice when she responded with, "Not this time, sir." When Angie looked to her, Gleason shrugged and said quietly, "Long story."

A snort of laughter came from the Captain as he once again turned to walk away, followed by a muttered, "No kidding it's a long story."

Angie couldn't help but smile as Gleason took her by the arm and began to tell her the interesting tale on their way to the Infirmary.

----------------------------------

Four hours later Angie stood in her temporary quarters and waited for Gleason to come and pick her up to go to the get together. Gleason never did say what the occasion was and Angie had forgotten to ask. _"Oh well"_, she thought with resignation, _"make an appearance and fake a stomach cramp or something to get the hell out of here."_ It was the best she could come up with.

Being in the middle of a group of near total strangers was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Unfortunately there was no way to stay away from it. Everyone she met in the Infirmary invited her to it, and none of them would take no for an answer. It occurred to her that none of them spoke about what kind of party it was either, which was making her a little nervous. She never asked any of them what type of party it was and that made her irritable.

A knock on her door shook Angie from her thoughts and when she opened the door Gleason stood there with an enormous smile upon her round face.

"Ready, Angie", she asked cheerfully.

Angie couldn't help but smile at the woman's tone. "Yes, ma'am, ready and…"

Angie stopped when Gleason's smile turned upside down and her hand came up to stop Angie from speaking. "No formalities tonight, Angie. It's a party and rank and station aren't recognized."

Angie felt the smile on her lips before consciously attempting to put one there. "Alright…Trina."

The frown on Gleason's face righted itself into another smile. "Better. Now come on. We don't want to be late."

Angie pulled the door closed after stepping outside. As they started walking down the corridor Angie looked to the CMO and asked, "What's this party about, Trina?"

Gleason smiled, although Angie was beginning to wonder if it was the same smile that she had on her face when she first greeted Angie on the hangar deck. "The first officer is having a baby, so we decided to throw a little party for her." Gleason adopted a playful smile. "It's more of an opportunity for those of us with kids to scare her a little with tall tales and labor pain stories. Should be good for a laugh."

Angie laughed at the near giddiness shown by the CMO. "You have children?"

"One", responded Gleason. "A son. He joined the academy last year." She rolled her eyes as she added almost scornfully, "A pilot." She shook her head once. "I was hoping he'd follow in his mother's footsteps, but I guess not."

Angie nodded her head, deciding not to mention the fact that she too was a pilot.

Another moment and they were at their destination: the mess hall, which for that night doubled as the banquet hall. Tables were arranged in a neat circular pattern and chairs were stationed at regular intervals around them and along the walls.

Several people from the Infirmary were already there, and as Gleason and Angie made their way to them, Angie began to get a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

----------------------------------

Despite herself, Angie was having a nice time. It had only taken the first officer of the _Hermes_, Commander Alyssa Parker five minutes to become petrified by the stories told by those mean spirited enough to torture the poor woman. 'Mean spirited' and 'torture' were extreme descriptions, as it was all meant in fun and certainly taken that way by Parker…after a while anyway.

Angie's attention was now divided between two conversations. One was spearheaded by Gleason, talking for a few minutes about work. The other was lead by Parker herself, telling a couple of ladies from Engineering about being pregnant.

Angie tried to listen to both, but all that she accomplished was getting snippets of each conversation.

"The new procedure will limit the response time by a factor…", Gleason was saying as Parker told her companions, "…the pain in my back was the worst. It just kept nagging to the point where…"

A third voice vied for Angie's attention all of a sudden, a familiar voice that Angie knew she couldn't be hearing. _"I'll live…if Sue lets me...I've had a bad back for a little while. I guess the thermal blanket isn't exactly what Jean would recommend for a bed."_

Angie's eyes narrowed in contemplation until Gleason's voice intruded in her thoughts. "So the new Cyclones will have much better emergency first aid…." Angie turned her ear towards Parker. "Mitch says that the worst for him is the morning sickness. Bless him he hates to see me sick at all…"

_"My stomach has been acting weird, but I guess being torn from those you love and locked in a cave on a dead moon will do that to you"_, echoed the voice that she should not have been hearing.

Something was clicking in Angie's mind, and from what she could tell it was not something that was going to make her mood better.

"…and peeing. My God I've never used the bathroom so much in my life. Dr. Gleason told me about peeing a lot more, but I didn't think I'd be going to the bathroom every twenty minutes." Laughter drowned out the rest of her comment.

This time it was her own voice that echoed within her mind, her own thoughts as she serviced a very certain SCLU in the MED cave. _"Wow, she's been using this a lot."_

The part of Angie's brain that held everything essential to her life as a medic was running into overdrive. Suddenly feeling a little sick to her stomach, Angie excused herself and rushed to the nearest bathroom.

She leaned over the sink in the bathroom, using her hands on both sides of the sink to brace herself and looked into the mirror above the sink. In her mind echoed what she knew about Lisa Hunter. _"What was it she said"_, Angie asked herself. _"'I've had a bad back for a little while'. What else did she say? ' My stomach has been acting weird'."_

Angie's stomach was rolling like boiling water in a pot, and her head started shaking back and forth. "No, she can't be", she whispered hoarsely to her reflection, and in her mind she heard her reflection say confidently, _"Yes, she can."_

She could taste the bitter taste of bile working it's way back up her esophagus towards her mouth. It wasn't pleasant.

She shook her head again. "No, she can't possib…." The thought was interrupted by another memory. _"The SCLU…it was used heavily. It was used…a lot for the amount of time that she'd been there. Dear God, no."_

Tears fell out of her eyes and began the downward trek at the beckon of the ship's artificial gravity. _"Back pain, frequent urination, stomach distress…all symptoms of…and she looked like she was…."_ The realization hit her hard as Angie bowed her head. She thought that Lisa looked regal in the cave, looked like she was still in command. But that wasn't it at all. She was…she was glowing.

She looked up at her reflection, and for a moment it seemed that her reflection had it figured out before she did. Her breath caught in her chest and her heart was beating so fast that she thought it might explode. "Oh my God…she's pregnant!"

The words seemed to reverberate in her head, even as she lowered it to the sink when the pungent bile, forced by the power of her upset stomach and the gut wrenching realization she had made, flowed out of her mouth and into the sink.

Throwing up was the only thing that kept her from fainting.

----------------------------------

Lisa stared at the object in her hand, a tear streaming down each side of her face. She found it in one of the side pouches of the bag that Angie had brought, one of the pouches that she didn't check right away. It was, as a matter of fact, only by a fluke that she checked it a few minutes earlier.

When she found it she couldn't believe it…couldn't believe that Angie would have thought to bring it; couldn't believe that she was able to get it.

When she found it, she realized that she was right in assuming that Angie wasn't evil to the core like her co-conspirator, Sue. No…Angie had good inside her and this proved it. It gave Lisa hope that she had been able to reach that good in Angie the day before, that she had been able to get Angie to reconsider this madness.

Hope.

As Lisa let herself gently fall back onto the thermal blanket, hope washed over her, and as she looked at the picture of a smiling Rick and Roy that Angie had brought her, the hope outweighed everything else…except the love.

As Lisa studied the image of her son, her left hand rested gently on her abdomen. For an hour Lisa studied the picture, tracing and retracing the features of the two most important people in her life. Lisa finally felt the darkness of sleep beckon, she pulled the picture to her heart and covering it with both hands as she closed her eyes and let sleep come to her.


	28. Chapter 28

I'm still around. First a technical note. The information I have in this chapter concerning pregnancy in older woman is courtesy of pregnancy-infodotnet. I've left the information from the site more or less as is, despite the fact that one would assume that some of the trouble would be eliminated or reduced because of medical advances…but for the purposes of my story we'll forget that for a while.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I sincerely hope to get the next chapter out sooner rather than later.

Many thanks to Adena, my ever faithful beta.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Angie opened her eyes slowly, the light threatening to assault her already overloaded brain with a vengeance, like God's own flashlight peering into her soul. She turned over onto her back and took several deep, cleansing breaths. When her eyes finally opened fully after several timid attempts she looked around, took in her surroundings and registered that she was in fact in the bed in her temporary quarters aboard the _Hermes_.

For a moment she was completely at a loss to explain how she had gotten back to her quarters, let alone undressed and into bed. She remembered going to the party with Gleason, and getting along well with everyone there with a good time being had by all. The memories were shrouded by a fog that was reminiscent of the aftermath of a drinking binge, but Angie was pretty certain there wasn't any alcohol there last night.

Angie brought her hands up to cover her eyes for a moment, and then moved them to rest on top of her head. The fog began to lift and a vision suddenly flashed in her mind, a vision of her sitting between Gleason and Parker, listening to tidbits of their respective conversations.

Then the fog totally disappeared and it came to her in a raging torrent of nausea.

She jumped up off the mattress and ran to the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time for what was left of her stomach contents to fly into it. She was surprised to see that there was anything left in there. When her stomach was finished, Angie collapsed to sit on the floor, though she was careful to keep her head near the toilet just in case.

Lisa Hunter was pregnant. She was marooned on an all but a dead moon with an innocent child growing within her. She was put there by Sue, Andrea...and her, of course.

A helpless baby.

Angie pulled herself up to the counter and tried to wash some of the fear and guilt off her face with some ice-cold water. It didn't work, of course.

Angie looked at her reflection in the mirror and managed to stifle the sigh that threatened to escape her lips. The cluster of wrinkles around her eyes had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, though a small part of her mind that still had a solid grip on time registered that the deep lines had to have been forming for a while. Angie brought her right hand up and gently traced along a particularly blatant frown line situated beside her mouth. _"Frown lines"_, she thought with disgust. _"Where the hell did they come from?" _She focused on her eyes and was immediately sorry for doing so. The eyes looking back at her were void of anything decent and honorable, dulled to the point where they no longer seemed to be her own.

Angie didn't like who, or what, she had become.

An alarm sounded in the bedroom and she went and turned it off. The memories were coming back to her more easily now. She remembered that Gleason had brought her home and set the alarm for her after finding her pretty much out of it in the Mess' bathroom. When Gleason had asked what the problem was, Angie passed her sudden illness off as something she ate. Hopefully Gleason would accept it.

Pregnant. Lisa was pregnant. Lisa and Rick were going to have a baby. Angie shook her head, gently, at the thought of it. Wait 'til Sue…

Sue. As Angie slowly walked back to the bathroom and turned on the shower she realized she had to be careful about Sue. Sue was in the perfect state of mind to not let Lisa's pregnancy deter her from the plan. On the other hand, Sue might just as easily fly off the handle and take the fact that Lisa was carrying Rick's baby as an excuse to do something drastic…something very tragic.

As the steam rose in the shower and the hot water hit her, Angie tried to figure out how the hell she had gotten herself mixed up in this mess.

----------------------------------

Major Tim Woods stood in front of General Sterling's desk and watched as the General and Captain Grant perused the reports he had given them. He had arrived in the office thirty minutes earlier, after getting up after three hours of sleep to compile the report. It was still only 0912 hours.

Sterling was seated at his desk and Grant was sitting in a chair in the corner off the Sterling's right. He watched with morbid amusement at the continually changing facial features of the two men as they read the report. It went from their normal civil look when he entered the room, to near trepidation when he handed them the reports, to something that looked like disbelief after they started reading. That look, the look of disbelief, deepened and became more pronounced as they read, tinged ever so slightly with what appeared to be rage…at least in Sterling's case. Grant just seemed to be shocked.

Woods knew Sterling pretty well. By the time the REF became an established presence in this sector of space, he had been appointed as the deputy commander of Fleet Intelligence, and eventually promoted to commander. That meant that he worked closely with the Alpha squadron commanders, and closer still with the CAG, who happened to be Max Sterling.

He liked Sterling. He had what Woods liked to call quiet command presence. Always polite to everyone, even when he lost his temper, which wasn't often, he was always quiet about it. It had been the same through his career and he never allowed his anger to get the better of him and make him fly off the handle. Sterling was a quiet recruit, a quiet pilot and a quiet one-star. That being said, Woods knew that if he ever found himself on the wrong side of Max Sterling's temper, he wouldn't make it out unscathed.

Grant was almost the same, though he had the ability to turn white hot angry with people if the need arose. Woods smiled inwardly as he recalled a day a while back when Grant chewed out one of the ground forces squadron commanders over a failure to properly assess the strength of an enemy position. That wasn't what amused Woods so much. What was amusing about it was the squadron commander outranked Grant at the time. Grant never backed down, even after it was brought to his attention, and that earned him Woods' respect…and his own command.

Any second now the questions would begin. He knew their questions would be pointed and to a point, desperate. Some of his preliminary thoughts would hurt and they had a right to be angry and question his theories and suspicions.

That's why it was slightly unsettling to see these two men before him now. It was Sterling who was getting upset, while Grant was simply overwhelmed. Woods chided himself for making assumptions about the two men and steeled himself for the onslaught.

----------------------------------

"What the hell is bintocite?" It wasn't the only question that General Max Sterling had concerning Woods' update, but it was a pretty good start. He sat at his desk, his elbows resting on the desk and a holding copy of the preliminary in his hands. He was glad not to be able to look into a mirror. The scowl on his admittedly boyish face had to be priceless.

"Addendum three, sir", replied Woods. He knew they would be as unacquainted with the explosive as he had been, so he put a detailed analysis and history of the explosive in the report.

Max turned to the appropriate page and read on in silence. By the rustling sound of pages turning next to him he guessed that Vince was turning to the same page.

Max read the page concerning bintocite. The compositional analysis and technical information made his head ache, which only added to the fear and anger welling up inside him. He skipped over it to read the history of the explosive that Woods provided.

When he reached the end of the page, he looked up at Woods, who was still standing directly in front of him on the other side of the desk. Max had wondered why Woods had declined to sit when he first arrived, but now Max understood all too clearly. It was the same for him whenever he had to do something thoroughly unpleasant or deliver particularly bad news. And Woods was doing that now for sure.

The thought that REF officers may have been involved in Lisa's death was…unbelievable.

"Some of your conclusions are", Max searched for the correct word, "disturbing, Major Woods." Max dropped the folder to the desk and leaned back in his chair. He spared Vince a glance, saw the same look of shock he knew was on his own face, and then focused his attention back on Woods.

"With all due respect, General", objected Woods, "they aren't conclusions as such. Suspicions would be a more accurate description."

"No matter what we call them, Major", chimed in Vince, "they are still disturbing. Do you have any specific ideas about who did this?"

Woods ignored the bitterness in Grant's voice. Grant had a right to be bitter as far as he was concerned. Hell, he was bitter for that matter. "No, Captain, not yet."

Max cleared his throat before asking, "Who else knows about your…suspicions?"

Woods looked to Max. "No one, sir. I had been considering bringing in one of my subordinates to assist me, but I haven't yet. Commander Baxter maybe, or Commander Graham."

"No!", shouted Max and Vince simultaneously, which caused Woods' eyes to pop open in surprise.

Max and Vince shot each other a look, confirming to each other that they objected for the same reason. They also agreed in that simple look to not inform Woods of the real reason behind their objection.

"Keep this close to your vest, Major", voiced Vince. "The more people we have that know about this, the more of a chance there is that it will get out, and that would be devastating."

Max nodded eagerly, too eagerly for Woods' liking. There was something going on here…

Silence descended upon the three men, each caught up in a moment of thought concerning Woods' report. Finally, Max spoke to Woods.

"Have you informed Admiral Hunter of your theories?" Max's quiet tone of voice told Woods and Vince that he hoped that Woods hadn't.

"No, sir", replied the Major. "Truthfully, sir, I wanted to run this by you and Captain Grant before giving the Admiral my report. I know you are his friends, sir, and have known him for a very long time." Woods shifted uncomfortably in his place and swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat. "I'm not entirely certain he needs to know, sir, but I wanted to leave that decision up to you."

Max looked thoughtful for a moment. "I may agree with you there, Major." Max stood up and regarded Woods. "From now on, report anything you find to me or Captain Grant. We'll decide if Rick needs to know it or not. Some of this information could…" Max trailed off, knowing that Vince and Woods both knew and understood exactly what he was trying to say. Rick would absolutely lose it.

"Yes, sir." Woods turned to leave but stopped when Max called out to him. "Sir?"

The look in Sterling's eyes was like ice, and his voice dripped with pure command. "Work faster."

Woods' heart jumped at Max's tone. He nodded and left the Max's office quickly in a bid to do just what General Sterling ordered him to do.

Max waited until the door closed and sat back down heavily in his chair. "We have to tell him, don't we?"

Vince walked out to the front of Max's desk and sat down in the chair located there. His expression was nearly identical to the grim façade of Max. "He wants to know what's going on." Vince shrugged his massive shoulders as he added, "I can't blame him. I'd want to know too. So would you."

Max nodded his agreement with the sentiment. "We'll sit on it for a few days…see if Woods can find something solid." Max sighed. "And it'll give Rick a chance to build up some strength. He's going to need it when he hears this."

Vince nodded his head in agreement and wondered if Rick would ever be strong enough to hear that his wife may have been killed by one of their own.

Max leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. Having his feet up was the only way he could get comfortable of late, besides laying next to Miriya of course. He folded his hands on his lap and said suspiciously, "Why does she keep turning up?"

Vince snorted in morbid amusement. He didn't need a map to figure out who Max was talking about. "She seems to be everywhere these days."

Max sighed. "I don't like the idea of her being close to this investigation."

Again Vince nodded. "Neither do I, but what can we do?" Vince leaned back in his own chair. "Woods could use more hands, and if we tell him he can't use Graham he'll start asking questions."

"I know", whispered Max. He shook his head and his voice rose when he spoke again. "I just don't trust her, Vince. I've got a bad feeling about her, and when my mind wanders to the question of who would want to get rid of Lisa, her name heads the list." At Vince's sympathetic look he added, "Granted I haven't thought about it too much."

"And your opinion of Graham has been influenced by her attempts to seduce Rick", reminded Vince.

Max smiled ruefully. "True. We'll give Woods a couple of days and take it from there." He let his feet drop to the floor and he placed his elbows back on his desk. "In the mean time, let's see if we can figure out anyone else who would want to kill Lisa."

----------------------------------

Angie stared at the computer screen and tried to keep her eyes focused on the information she was trying to read. It was well after the end of her shift, but she waited so long so that there would be less of a chance of running into anybody. The day had been relatively uneventful, with only a couple of Infirmary personnel who mentioned her rapid departure from the party, and she managed to successfully pass it off as a food issue, as she had done with Gleason in the morning.

She read over the same line on the screen for the third time. She had been staring at the words for nearly twenty minutes and still hadn't managed to get the information she wanted. _"Shock"_, a part of her mind muttered. She was still in shock over the realization that Lisa Hunter was pregnant. She was so engrossed with her inner voice that she never heard anyone approach her, so when she felt a hand on her shoulder the screech she let loose probably made it all the way up to the bridge.

"Damn, Angie, I'm sorry", apologized Gleason in a rush. She placed her hand, which she had withdrawn when Angie screamed, back on Angie's shoulder to calm her down.

Angie in the meantime was trying to get her breathing back under control. It had been quite a fright she received. She wasn't sure just how much more her poor heart could take. It was then that she realized her hands were holding onto the edge of her desk with so much force that her knuckles had turned white. She reluctantly loosened her grip and tried with all her strength to speak.

"It's okay, Doctor", she managed hoarsely. She looked up to see the very concerned face of the CMO and instantly relaxed at the honest sorrow she saw. "Really, Dr. Gleason. It's okay. I didn't hear you coming and I was…lost in thought."

Gleason relaxed a little. "Are you sure, Angie?" At Angie's positive nod Gleason smiled. "Well, if you're sure, is there anything I can help you with?"

Before Angie could say anything Gleason leaned in over her shoulder and looked at the computer screen. "'Risks of Pregnancy in Women over Forty", read Gleason out loud. She stood upright and looked at Angie quizzically. "Are you older than you look, Angie?"

Angie smiled despite her nausea. "No, ma'am. A…friend…of mine recently discovered she's pregnant and asked me to check out a few things for her."

Gleason's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why not just go to her doctor?"

_"Good question"_, thought Angie. "Personal choice." Gleason began to scowl and Angie realized that pissing off her temporary CO with vagueness would be a very bad move. She lowered her voice to a whisper, pretending that the false knowledge she was about to depart was the deepest kind of secret. "The circumstances of this pregnancy are…unconventional, Doctor." At Gleason's continued scowling Angie added in an even quieter voice, "My friend, she made a mistake."

"Oh", replied Gleason as she swallowed the bogus implication of an affair hook, line and sinker. "I see."

"Any advice, Doctor?" Angie glanced at the screen and then back to Gleason. "I can read this stuff all day, and I know the basics of pregnancy from my training, but all I've been able to remember and get from this is that pregnancies in that stage of a woman's life can be problematic."

Gleason sat down next to Angie and nodded. "Yes, they can be." Gleason sighed. "It depends on the mother really. I assume she's over forty." At Angie's affirming nod Gleason continued. "Any health problems?" Angie shook her head in the negative. "Well, as far as the mother is concerned, the older she is the more risk there is of miscarriage. The accepted number for a healthy forty year old is around a twenty-five percent risk of miscarriage. There's also a greater chance of a C-section with an older woman."

Angie could feel the color drain from her cheeks. She didn't dare move or say anything less she do or say something that would make Gleason suspicious.

Gleason didn't seem to notice Angie's distress and went on. "There is also the risk of several other problems for an older woman. High blood pressure is the most common, though diabetes and cardiovascular disease can also occur. There's also a risk of bleeding caused by Placenta Previa, when the placenta moves to cover the cervix. That could cause a number of difficulties for both the baby and the mother, including severe blood loss for the mother."

"How severe?", squeaked Angie.

Gleason nodded as though she expected the question. "Life threatening", she responded almost reluctantly. She looked to Angie and finally noticed the discomfort she was in. She reached over and put a reassuring hand on Angie's knee. "These things are treatable, Angie, and the risk of miscarriage and even the placenta previa can be minimized with the proper care and attention."

Angie tried to smile, and truth be told she wasn't sure if she was successful or not. "What else, Doctor?"

Gleason withdrew her hand and placed her hands on her lap. "Well, there are some risks for the baby as well. If placenta previa occurs it can lead to growth troubles and congenital problems. There's a slight risk of the baby having a low birth weight with older mothers. Down syndrome is also a risk." Gleason frowned as she tried to remember the figures. "I can't recall the stats right now. I think it may be around one in one hundred for forty year olds. I'll have to check on that though, so don't quote me on it."

Angie opened her mouth to say something, though for the life of her she couldn't figure out what. In the end it didn't really matter…she couldn't say anything at all.

"All of these risks can be minimized, Angie", Gleason said softly when she saw Angie's ashen cheeks. "Except for the Down syndrome. There's no prevention for that, not even now after all the advances we've made in medicine in the last number of decades, but there are tests to detect it." Gleason regarded Angie and her heart bloomed with sympathy. "Angie? Angie?"

Angie's eyes darted to Gleason's. "Yes, Doctor?"

"These risks can be minimized", Gleason repeated slowly for Angie's benefit. "A healthy diet, the right amount and type of exercise and attentive care is all it takes. Is she in the REF?"

"What?", came Angie's blurted question. Angie suspected that she would have reacted the same way if Gleason had asked her her name, she was so on edge.

Gleason smiled compassionately and repeated her question. "Your friend. Is she an officer in the REF?" When Angie nodded Gleason added, "It's important that she avoid any stress, especially the farther along she gets in the pregnancy if she decides to continue with it." Gleason lowered her head but kept her eyes on Angie and asked quietly, "Is she planning on keeping the baby?"

"Yes", replied Angie. Angie assumed that Lisa would keep the baby, if she didn't bleed to death, have a miscarriage or…she was getting sick all over again.

"Then she needs to see a doctor, Angie. If she's aboard the SDF-3 then Jean is the best there is in prenatal care, and you know that doctor-patient confidentiality is sacred." Gleason once again put her hand on Angie's knee, making the younger woman turn to face her. "It's imperative that she sees a doctor, Angie…I can't stress that enough. She needs to get set up on a system to help lower the risk factors. Do you understand me, Angie?"

Angie patted Gleason's hand with her own and smiled slightly. "Yes, Doctor. I'll tell her as soon as I get back, though she mentioned seeing her doctor anyway."

"I hope everything works out for her, Angie."

The sincerity in Gleason's voice was palpable. If Angie's stomach hadn't been churning like water underneath a waterfall she would have been extremely grateful for it. As it was, the sincerity only made her feel worse for lying through her teeth.

"Thank you, Doctor", managed Angie after a few seconds. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Angie stood up on wobbly legs, and after steadying herself she looked at her concerned CO and smiled. "I think I'm going to turn in early."

Gleason stood up as well and held Angie's arm. "Do you need a hand, Angie?"

Angie shook her head a little more emphatically than she meant to. "No. Thank you, Doctor. I'll see you in the morning." Angie took a step and was immensely relieved to find that her legs obeyed her commands.

When she reached the door she looked back to Gleason, smiled and went through the door.

Gleason watched Angie disappear around the door frame, shrugged her shoulders and headed back to her office, wondering just how much more there was to Angie's story.

----------------------------------

_"It's almost over…it's almost over…It's almost over."_ The mantra continued inside the mind of Sue Graham as she waited for the end of shift. As it was, she had already punched out, so to speak, mentally if not physically. After snapping at two of her subordinates for the third time in twenty minutes over the decibel level of their private conversation, Major Woods suggested that perhaps she should go to her office and cool down.

That was thirty minutes ago.

She managed to make it to her chair and fold her arms over each other on her desk, which made for a handy pillow.

Sue lifted her head off her arms just enough to see that it was time to go home…finally.

Sue walked out her office and was immensely thankful that all hands scurried to get out of her way. If she heard one more male crew member ask others in hushed tones if her attitude was because it was that time of the month she was going to scream…then cause some serious bodily harm.

Sue could admit that she was more…irritable…than usual, but she was entitled to it in her humble opinion. Between Rick avoiding her like the plague, Angie being away from her, Pullman and his drugs, Woods and his secretive meeting with Sterling and Grant, and her freaking bloody lip, she had to have been permitted some releasing of her frustration.

Sue ambled out of Fleet Intelligence and nearly collided with a passing crewman. As the young man mumbled his apologies and moved on in his original direction, Sue braced herself against the bulkhead with her right hand and rubbed her forehead with the other, wondering if she really did hear him ask himself she was on her period or something.

_"Couldn't have been what he said"_, she thought as she stood there.

She had had a headache for the entire day and her lip was throbbing. It was sore as hell and it was throbbing. At least the damn thing had stopped bleeding.

She resumed her somewhat unsteady trek towards her quarters, concentrating hard on putting one foot in front of the other. When she finally reached the door her hands grasped the handle and opened it clumsily. She stumbled inside and finally found a modicum of comfort when she collapsed on the couch. For several minutes she lay there on her back with her right arm covering her eyes and her left hand resting on the couch next to her.

What she wouldn't give for Angie to come back. Sue didn't realize just how important Angie had become not only in her little plot, but also to her as an anchor. It had been Angie in the last little while who was there for Sue whenever she needed someone to help her or to talk to.

Her thoughts drifted to Rick as her fantasy of having him as an anchor came to life. She'd managed to catch a glimpse of him that morning, though she doubted he knew she was there. She needed some info from the senior radar tech in the Sit. Room and she saw him, standing off by himself thinking what she knew had to be great thoughts. He was a great man, after all.

He looked so…majestic, standing in front of the large view screen in the Sit. Room with his hands clasped behind his back. The way the light from the screen washed towards him caused an aura to appear around him that added to his already handsome features.

Despite her discomfort Sue smiled at the memory, another to file away with the multitude of others she had stored in her head.

The throb in her lip nudged the thoughts of Rick from her mind and took over. She sighed, though to her ears it came out more like a moan, and reached over and picked up the information sheet the nurse had given her about the medication she was taking. When the words finally came into focus, she read it again.

"May cause irritability and upset stomach", she read out loud and sighed again.

She let the sheet of paper fall to the floor and looked up at the ceiling. Her plan was taking too long and cracks were forming in it. Rick wasn't coming around as quickly as she had hoped, and his friends were being more of an impediment to her than she had anticipated. And Woods…he was getting too close for comfort if the rumor mill could be believed. There was also Angie's faltering to consider. Angie had developed a conscience and that was as deadly to Sue now as any other obstacle.

Sue turned her head enough to look at the picture of her, Angie and Andrea Grace. Andrea was still on Tirol, in position and ready if she was needed. But Angie…

Angie was hanging on by a thread. All it would take would be one more strike to send her crashing into the abyss, taking Sue with her and destroying all her carefully laid out plans.

Sue Graham turned her head back to regard the ceiling and contemplated her contingency plans. It looked like the virus would come in handy after all. A month earlier she had gone to the computer security specialists and asked them to develop a virus that would incapacitate the SDF-3. Normally such a request would be taken as slightly suspicious, but coming from a Fleet Intelligence officer who said she wanted it to explore possible vulnerabilities to the ship, and therefore possible defenses, the computer geniuses never even batted their eyelashes. In two days they had a working virus that would virtually shut down the ship. Everything from the hanger bay doors, to the sensors and scanners, weapons and flight guidance…everything except gravity and life support.

The designers had installed safety protocols of course, back doors to ensure that the virus was easily disabled if accidentally activated. Of course, they told her where all the safety protocols were so that any simulations wouldn't be affected.

Their mistake.

It was a simple task to remove the protocols, especially with a computer whiz of her own helping her. As a communications officer, Andrea had an intimate knowledge of computers and a very good working knowledge of programming. Of course all REF officers these days had to know something about computers.

Andrea. She was still on Tirol, ready if that part of the contingency plan was need. The last time they talked she said she had her part figured out, how to get what they needed and where to take it. She had it under control, which was a great relief to Sue for sure.

Then of course, there was the other medication she was taking as well, the one that no one else knew about, not Angie, Andrea or Pullman. She was relieved that it never showed up in any of her blood tests, though not surprised. The medication, such as it was, simply kept her body in a constant state of readiness for the right time and circumstances.

For Rick, in other words. If it showed up in the tests it would simply appear as a normal biological function.

The last element of her contingency plans rested in her dresser's top drawer. Her sidearm remained loaded, and she had become more and more convinced that if anyone jeopardized her plans she would be able to pull the trigger.

Sue took a deep breath and let it out slowly. _"Yes"_, she thought with a grim resolution, _"I will pull the trigger if I have to."_

----------------------------------

Angie had spent hours thinking about Lisa Hunter, her baby and the risks to them both. Under normal circumstances they would be relatively safe, where normal circumstances meant that they would have access to doctors and medical facilities; have access to the proper nutritional meals; and be free of the stress that undoubtedly went with being ripped from your family and held captive by an evil witch intent on stealing your husband.

Angie sighed as she stood in front of the main view port on the observation deck of the _Hermes_ and leaned ahead close enough to let her breath fog up the transparency. The peaceful view of the stars outside became fuzzy; obscured much as her own purpose in life had become. She tried to make out the stars through the moist fog her breath made on the surface, but she couldn't really see them, like her own purpose which she knew was there in front of her but she lost sight of.

She had taken as her lot in life to helping people as a medic, to help mend the wounded and keep them safe until they could be transported to a hospital. She had felt very good about being that person, that person who helped to save those who for whatever reason couldn't save themselves.

She lost sight of it by helping to kill…to murder four of her fellow officers. She lost it when she decided to help Sue with her evil little plan. She lost it when she stabbed that needle in Lisa Hunter's neck and helped Sue imprison the Admiral on that God forsaken rock. All of which, Angie now realized, was that much more evil because Lisa Hunter had within her womb innocence itself.

A pregnant Admiral. Her stomach started to churn at the thought…again.

Her eyes focused on the fog stain on the window, trying desperately to see through it. With every one of those moments in time where she lost a little piece of her life's purpose, a little piece of her soul was lost as well. For a while, she thought those pieces of herself were gone for good.

But as the fog her breath had caused started to fade away letting the twinkling light of the stars to filter through the window again, Angie realized something. She realized that she could get some of her soul back.

She would never get it all back. Some of it had been irrevocably lost with the comrades she had killed, but she could salvage some of it.

Angie stood up straight in front of the window, and with a calm and decisive movement from her right hand she wiped the remaining fog from the window. When she saw the stars, the clear and uninterrupted view of those twinkling specks of light, she knew that she could fix some for the wrongs she had perpetrated just as easily as she wiped away that moisture.

All she had to do was what she was trained to do…save a life, an innocent life.

When Angela Marques walked off the observation deck a minute later, her stride held a confidence that she hadn't felt in a very long time.


	29. Chapter 29

See? I told you all I was still around! Here it is, the long overdue update I've been promising for way too long.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. And of course a thousand thanks to Adena who has refused to give up on me and beta'ed this for me. As usual your suggestions were incredible.

I promise the next update will come a lot quicker than this one did.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Sue Graham walked through Fleet Intelligence with her mind only half on the report she was looking at in her hands. For the most part, her thoughts centered on her evolving plan and how to get what it was she so desperately wanted, namely Rick Hunter.

Fortunately for her, her mind was not so engaged with those nefarious thoughts that she couldn't sense someone bearing down on her in a hurry. She just managed to jump of the way as Woods barged past her without so much as an apology, his face set in a grim and angry cast.

Sue lowered her arms to her side and watched as her CO left the room without breaking his stride. When the doors shut behind him, she turned to look for the one person who had become a reliable source of information in the last while.

As she expected, a somber faced Dora Baxter was headed her way. It figured that Baxter would be the one Woods would talk to first, having been with him in Fleet Intelligence for a long time. Sue realized early on she could be a very good source of information and had made an effort to become friendlier with her. It also helped that Baxter trusted her implicitly and had no problem talking to her. Sue narrowed her eyes as the other woman approached, and when she was close enough to whisper Sue asked, "What the hell is going on with Woods?"

Baxter grabbed Sue and all but dragged her towards an empty briefing room. Sue thought about breaking free, but Baxter had a pretty good grip, and she really wanted to know what her colleague knew. A moment later Baxter closed the briefing room door and turned to face Sue.

"Major Woods just got a call from Zolan," she stated ominously.

The name sounded familiar to Sue but she couldn't remember who it was. Her inability to place the name must have shown on her face because Baxter explained, "Zolan! The head of Tirolian Intelligence."

"Right!" exclaimed Sue as it all came back to her. Zolan was the head of Tirolian Intelligence and one of the highest government officials there was. The only other thing that Sue could remember about him was the impression she had been left with after the only time she had met him, the feeling that he was a creepy man. "What did he want?"

Baxter glanced to the door to make sure it hadn't opened and said quietly, "I'm not sure." Baxter moved closer to Sue just in case. "All Woods said was that the Tirolians had a lead on the shuttle explosion."

Sue could feel her face go pale and her lip, after behaving itself for the last couple of days, begin to throb. She gathered her wits and managed to ask, "Is that all?"

Baxter nodded eagerly, sending her blond hair dancing in all directions.

The frustration that Sue felt at not knowing exactly what was happening found an outlet in her clutching the report she had been reading tightly in her hands. Her mind was running over the possible scenarios, checking and rechecking the plans she had in place and trying to forecast what was going to happen next when Baxter's confused voice broke through her inner chaos.

"There was something else," Baxter said quietly as she folded her arms across her chest. "A word that means nothing to me." Baxter took a moment to try to figure out how to sound out the word, and after several aborted attempts she said hesitantly, "Vidam, I think."

Sue slammed her right hand down on the back of a nearby chair to keep herself steady, and when Baxter looked at her strangely, Sue attempted to cover it by passing it off as frustration instead of panic. "What could that mean?" She was relieved when Baxter simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I have no idea," said Baxter, "but whatever else Zolan said sent the Major into a tizzy. When he finished talking to Zolan he called the flight deck and used his Omega clearance to arrange an immediate trip to Tirol."

Sue's grip on the back of the chair tightened. "He's going to Tirol?"

Again Baxter nodded emphatically. "Right now. He said he'd be back as soon as possible." Baxter shrugged her shoulders, then walked to the door and opened it. "I hope it's a solid lead," she said as she opened the door.

"Me too," managed Sue as Baxter walked through the door, leaving her alone in the suddenly confining briefing room.

_"Damn it, Vidam!"_ she screamed internally. _"You better not tell them anything or I'll…"_ She laughed out loud at the thought. What would she do? What could she do? Nothing. Besides, Vidam didn't know who she was. All he could tell them was the person he sold the bintocite to was a woman. He might have known she was human as well, but that's it.

She smiled as she realized that she was still free and clear…so far. Even the throb in her lip had subsided. Still, better safe than sorry. She would activate the computer program before Woods got back…just in case.

----------------------------------

Tim Woods sat in a very uncomfortable chair in a very uncomfortable room listening to some very disconcerting news.

When the head of Tirolian Intelligence contacted him earlier to request a meeting, Woods initially brushed him off by saying that he was very busy. When Zolan told him that he had some information concerning the bintocite, and specifically who had obtained it, he was on his way to the hangar deck in a heart beat, only to have to wait several hours to actually see Zolan.

He already knew in his heart of hearts that a human had killed Lisa Hunter…he had even told Sterling and Grant as much. That that person was also a REF officer was a virtual certainty.

Woods took a deep breath and placed his hands on the table he was sitting at for support as he leaned forward. Having his worst fears confirmed still cut him to the quick.

"So let me get this straight," Woods said to the only other occupant of the room. Zolan was an older, thin man who had seen decades of service. His blue hair went off in all directions, giving him the appearance of some sort of deranged scientist. He stood across from Woods and nodded for him to go ahead. "You picked up this guy, this…what's his name again?"

"Vidam," responded Zolan.

"Right, Vidam, on a terrorism charge and he just happened to mention this to you?" asked Woods.

"Of course not, Major," said Zolan condescendingly. "We have very effective interrogation techniques that…"

Woods held up his hand to stop Zolan from continuing. "I don't want to know."

Zolan smirked as he nodded his understanding. "At any rate, Major, just the threat of interrogation was enough for Vidam to volunteer the information, most likely in the hopes that it would incur him some leniency." Zolan clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing as he once again went over the information. "Vidam was approached about acquiring some of our bintocite. As a former intelligence officer, he had intimate knowledge of our storage practices and security. He also had some inside contacts that enabled him to obtain some of the explosive." Zolan stopped his pacing and sat in the chair opposite Woods and sighed. "Rest assured, Major, that those inside contacts have been neutralized."

"And he said that the person he sold the bintocite to was a human female?" asked Woods.

At this Zolan smiled a malicious smile that sent shivers down Woods' spine. "More than that, Major." Zolan handed Woods a mini computer data screen, and as Woods glanced over the information Zolan summarized for him. "Vidam, ever the - what do you humans say? Snake? - followed the person to whom he sold the explosive …right to REF Base Alpha."

Woods' blood was starting to boil.

"According to Vidam," continued Zolan, apparently oblivious to Woods' angry discomfort, "when the person approached a seldom used side entrance to the base, she discarded her disguise and entered the base wearing a REF uniform." Zolan leaned back in the chair. "Apparently Vidam was too far away to get a good description of her facial features, but he was quite adamant that she was a human female, wearing a REF uniform...a flight suit as a matter of fact. She was of an average height with an athletic build, and the guards saluted her when she approached." Zolan retrieved another data screen and handed it to Woods as well. "I have taken the liberty of getting the duty roster for the place and time in question. The guards on duty that night were Lieutenants Smyth and Karnes. Logic suggests she is of a higher rank."

Woods examined the data screens. "Lieutenant Commander or better," he concurred absently. He looked up to Zolan. "Do you have any reason to suspect that this guy," he glanced down at the screen to verify the name, "this Vidam, would lie?"

Zolan shook his head confidently. "None. He has every reason to cooperate if he wishes to avoid execution."

Woods leaned back heavily in his chair and rubbed his very weary eyes with the palms of his hands. When he finished he let his hands fall to his lap. "You got the duty roster for that night," said Woods. "Did you get the list of visitors to the base?"

Zolan smiled, and this time the smile was complimentary, as though he was impressed that Woods had thought of it. "Indeed, Major, and it is a telling list not in that it says anything specific, but more by what it does not say." He handed a confused Woods yet another data screen. "There are no visitors listed as departing from or arriving at Base Alpha for that night, Major. What could that mean?"

Woods was struggling to maintain his composure. "I…it means that this woman had special security clearance, high enough to override usual security protocols so that there would be no official record of her presence." He looked at Zolan again through the angry crimson haze that was now covering his vision. "She's an intelligence officer or special operations officer."

Zolan nodded. "That was my conclusion as well."

Woods sat up straight in the chair. "I have to go and speak with Smyth and Karnes," he announced.

"Again," said Zolan, "I have taken the liberty."

Woods was thoroughly annoyed at this, though he dared not show it. Zolan was being uncharacteristically cooperative and this was the biggest break in the case thus far. The last thing he wanted to do was lose Zolan's help and information by shooting off his face about interfering with his investigation and overstepping his jurisdiction. "Did they know anything?"

Zolan shook his head regretfully. "It was too long ago for them to remember anything of consequence. The only thing they could remember was that she was very attractive, but not the details."

"Figures," mumbled Woods disgustedly. "I need to get back to the ship." Woods stood up, but had to sit back down when he felt the room begin to spin.

Zolan was up and at his side swiftly. "No, Major. You can wait until morning." Zolan pressed a button on the table, and a moment later the door opened and a blue-haired Tirolian woman entered. "This is Dendra," Zolan stated. "She is my most trusted aide. She will escort you to your temporary quarters." When Woods looked at him Zolan held up his hand and said, "It is very late, Major, and you are exhausted. You can leave in the morning."

Woods saw the logic of it. He was pissed off and tired, and in such a state what could he accomplish? He wouldn't even be able to give Sterling a decent report in his current condition. He stood up and faced Zolan. "May I keep these?" he asked of the data screens.

Zolan nodded once as he said, "Of course."

Woods nodded gratefully. "And may I contact my ship to let them know that I will be staying the night?"

Again Zolan nodded and turned to Dendra. "Escort the Major to the communications center, then to his quarters."

Dendra nodded to her superior and said in a soft voice, "Please follow me, Major."

Woods thanked Zolan and followed Dendra through the corridors of the Tirolian Intelligence complex wondering as he walked when things had gotten so very bad.

----------------------------------

"Yes, sir," said Dora Baxter to her commanding officer. He had contacted her a minute earlier to inform her that he wouldn't be back until the morning.

'I want you to pull the flight logs for the day I specified, Commander," sounded Woods' voice through the speaker. 'If the person came from the SDF-3 there may be a record of it.'

Baxter made a note to do just that and said, "Will do, sir. Is that all?"

There was a pause and then Woods said, 'For now.' Another pause. 'And Commander, tell no one of this, not General Sterling or Commander Graham…no one. Understood?'

Baxter didn't understand why, but she understood an order when she heard one. "Yes, sir."

'Woods out.'

Baxter closed the channel and accessed the flight logs for the day in question before she called it a night, totally oblivious to the fact that her conversation with her CO had been overheard by one of the two people that Woods had specifically ordered her not to tell.

----------------------------------

Lisa sat with her back against the wall of the cave as daylight began to filter in through the cave entrance. She had managed to force down one of the ration packs and finished off her second bottle of water of the young morning. She couldn't seem to quench her thirst, no matter how much she drank. She wondered several times if there was something about the cave that could have been causing it, but she couldn't see or feel anything that would indicate it.

Her right hand gently rubbed over her stomach in a slow circular motion as the churning that had been the mainstay of her last number of mornings began right on schedule. In some small part of her mind, where actions of the past were stored for posterity, the slow rounded movements seemed intimately familiar, though she couldn't quite place the feeling.

She hadn't thrown up yet, but the way her stomach was behaving it was a virtual certainty that it would happen soon.

She sighed and leaned back against the wall and then arched her back to try to stretch out the kink that had taken up root in her lower back. It was the damnedest thing. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that she was…

Her hand froze in mid circle and she exclaimed into the empty cave, "Oh my God!" She looked down to her abdomen, remembering what it had been like when she first found out she was pregnant with Roy. It had been exactly the same – sick in the morning; steady lower back pain; constant peeing and an unnatural craving for pizza, which disgusted her to no end considering pizza was her least favorite food in the universe. The same things were happening to her now, including the God-awful desire for pizza.

"It can't be!" she exclaimed with a mixture of nervousness, shock and excitement. Her left hand found its way to join her right on her stomach, and together they smoothed out the REF issue sweatshirt that Angie had given her over her stomach. It was still as flat as it usually was, but she knew that she couldn't go by that, she had to go by the signs and the signs pointed in a very special and glorious direction.

Keeping her right hand flattened gently and protectively against her tummy, Lisa reached over with her left hand and picked up the picture of Rick and Roy that Angie had left her.

Angie.

Lisa smiled and felt something that she could have called relief if she wanted to be optimistic about it all. Angie asked her how she was feeling the day she visited. The young woman knew enough, saw enough and understood enough to know that something wasn't right. _"What did I say?"_ asked Lisa to herself. She thought back and repeated in her mind, _"I said, 'I've had a bad back for a little while. I guess the thermal blanket isn't exactly what Jean would recommend for a bed. My stomach has been acting weird, but I guess being torn from those you love and locked in a cave on a dead moon will do that to you.'"_

Lisa's heart rate stepped up a notch as she realized it was possible that Angie, a medic, and a damn fine one if Jean was accurate with her job performance evaluations, might put the symptoms together and come to the same conclusion that she herself had just arrived at.

Lisa forced herself to calm down. The odds were against it…she doubted that even Jean herself would come to that conclusion based on those flimsy and non-specific symptoms. But still…

Lisa held the picture up in the dim light of the cave. "Well you two," she said affectionately to the two men in her life through the picture, "how do you guys feel about it?"

Lisa brought her right hand up to her mouth as she laughed and cried at the same time. The mix of emotions was not lost on her. How could she not be happy that a new life was growing within her, a life created by her and the man she loved? Still, how could she not despair over the fact that she was being held prisoner on a nearly dead moon with those she loved thinking she was dead?

Lisa focused on Rick's face in the picture. She raised her right hand and with trembling fingers she caressed his left cheek, then traced along his jaw and eyes. The simple gesture, the thought of being close enough to Rick to do that was enough to strengthen her resolve, her belief that she would see and touch him again.

She continued to rub the picture where Rick's cheek was with her thumb even as anger boiled up within her.

Keeping the picture in her left hand, her right hand fell gently back to her abdomen to once again caressed her belly, though it was no longer to settle her upset tummy, but to protect and reassure the life growing within her that all would be fine.

And as she rubbed her belly and continued to look at the picture of Rick and Roy, she said resolutely, "If anything happens to this baby, Sue, there will not be a hole deep enough in the universe for you to hide in."

Forcing the bitter thoughts from her mind, Lisa smiled and brought the picture to her lips, giving Rick a kiss she wished with all her heart that he could feel.

----------------------------------

The shuttle was on approach to the SDF-3, and for Woods it wasn't a moment too soon. He had gotten up before the crack of dawn and woke Dendra up in order to get back to the ship as quickly as possible. Needless to say Dendra was slightly irritated.

He hadn't slept. Not a wink. All that kept going through his mind was the confirmation that a colleague had done the unthinkable. It was so far beyond surreal for Woods it was nauseating.

Not only did he now have solid evidence that the person responsible for the murder of his Admiral was a REF officer, but he now knew that it was very likely that the woman was an intelligence or special ops officer, perhaps even one of his own officers.

It boggled his mind and sickened his stomach.

The question was what to do next? He could tell Sterling and Grant what he had found out, but they would want more information, precious information that he didn't as yet have. No, first he would go to Fleet Intelligence and see if Baxter was able to come up with anything…not that he expected her to. Whoever this woman was she was good at what she did, and had so far expertly covered her tracks, with the exception of getting partially identified by Vidam.

No, Baxter would not find anything. That meant that he would have to sift through the hundreds of intelligence and special ops officers present on the SDF-3 and the Tirol bases. Eliminate the males, then use the physical characteristics supplied by Vidam to narrow it down and then verify their locations during the time the meeting with Vidam took place. That should narrow it down significantly.

Woods folded his arms across his chest and took a deep breath. He had the strangest feeling that he was missing something, something obvious and close to him but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out.

The pilot's voice over the loudspeaker announcing that they were about to land dragged Woods from his thoughts.

_"Close,"_ he thought anxiously and he picked up and tightly held the data screens in his hands. _"We're so close…"_

----------------------------------

Rick rolled over onto his back and sighed. It had been another night of fitful sleep, broken up by dreams of that which he had recently lost. It always amazed him how his dreams of Lisa could be so beautiful and so painful at the same time.

He took a deep breath and realized with a start that the aroma of coffee filled the air. He glanced over to the bottom of the bedroom door and saw light filtering through the opening.

Rick's brow knitted together in surprise and he sat up. _"Who the hell is out there at"_, he glanced to the clock,"_7:38 in the morning?" _

It took him a moment to realize that he didn't automatically assume that it was Lisa, much like he did for the first few days after her death. It saddened him deeply to know that she would never…

_"No!"_ his mind screamed at him as he violently shook his head. He had promised himself that he wouldn't allow those thoughts to enter into his mind and take away his strength. Lisa would be furious with him if he allowed himself to wallow in grief when their mission…her mission…had yet to be completed. There was work to be done and he would find the strength to do it the same way he found the strength to do everything he had done for as long as he could remember: from her.

After taking a deep breath, Rick rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let his feet fall to the floor. His hands rested on the bed on either side of him as he tried to fully come to his senses. He looked again to the door.

_"I wonder which one it is this morning"_, he thought. There had been a revolving door of friends coming and going during the preceding days. Rick would never know who was going to show up on any given morning. Max, Miriya, Jean had all made appearances. He knew it wouldn't be Vince, who had been banned from cooking of any kind by Jean after he nearly destroyed a section of the ship while attempting to make pancakes years earlier. To his knowledge, Vince had never even so much as turned on the stove since.

Rick grimaced as he stood up and, after stretching out the stiffness in his joints, took a step towards the bathroom. He paused and turned to look back at the bed. His bed…no longer their bed. He still slept on Lisa's side of the bed, and he was still cuddling his face to her pillows as though he were nuzzling her neck as he had done on so many occasions.

He sighed heavily and went into the bathroom and after using the toilet he settled down in front of the mirror and began to shave.

Two minutes later Rick watched in the mirror as the tiny droplet of blood worked its way down his to his jaw from the small cut on his left cheek as though it were something he had never seen before. Seconds ticked by as the bead of crimson stopped at the edge of his jaw in what could have been a last ditch effort by the drop to stay where it was needed, but in the end nature and the artificial gravity of the ship won out, and the drop of blood flew from his face. The free fall lasted a mere second until the small drop splashed down into the slightly soapy water that filled his sink in his bathroom.

Without taking his eyes off the blood, he gently placed the razor he had been holding in his right hand on the sink, then placed his hands on either side of the sink for support and leaned in to watch.

And he did watch as the small amount of blood began to rapidly disperse in the water; its tiny volume easily swallowed up by the relatively enormous amount of water working against it.

Rick couldn't help but see the symbolism…it fit so perfectly, for like the droplet of blood, Rick felt as though the world was trying with its sheer size and force to swallow him one piece at a time. More and more each day Rick could feel himself slipping farther and farther into the void despite his best attempts at staving it off.

And just as that little droplet of blood that lost its ability to exist as it was because it left the safe shelter of his body, Rick was losing himself because that one thing that protected, nourished and grounded him for as long as he could remember was gone.

Rick watched intently as the blood went from bright red and whole, to pink and finally to nothing, and Rick wondered if he was destined for the same sort of fate. Finally Rick looked up to his reflection staring back at him in the mirror. The steam that had risen from the hot water in the sink gave his reflection an eerie look, though the way he looked lately ghastly may have been a more appropriate description.

The ten days since the worse day of his life, the day Lisa died, saw his skin turn pale and eyes darken. Add to that the cut that currently graced the upper part his left cheek and he looked horrendous, and he couldn't help wondering just who it was he was trying to kid with his earlier bravado.

Rick sighed as he watched with morbid curiosity a new drop of blood wind its way slowly down his cheek to join its brother in its demise. Rick had cut himself shaving before, of course, what man hadn't at one time or another? It just seemed to happen more often than usual in the last few days. He wasn't certain as to why. It could have been that he just didn't care anymore. It could have been that he was just too tired to do it properly. It could have been the fact that the slight weight loss that affected his waistline also occurred in his face and the bones of his cheek and jaw were protruding out more than usual.

It was most likely a combination of these three things, he decided.

Rick closed his eyes and remembered the days when Lisa would be there to baby him over the simplest things, like cutting himself shaving. He closed his eyes at the thought of Lisa gently pressing a facecloth to the small scratch with one hand and trying, unsuccessfully, to get his wayward bang to move out of the way. She never could do it, but she always tried. She would do all of this, all the while berating him for being so careless. There was never any real heat or anger in her voice, and the smile she always tried to fight told him she was playing around with him.

He got so lost in the memory that he could, for an all too brief moment, feel her touch on his cheek; he could hear her laughter; and he could feel her lips against his.

His eyes flew open and he gripped the sides of the sink until his knuckles turned white. Rick looked into the mirror at his reflection and smiled. The cut had stopped bleeding. More than that, the warm feeling on the right side of his face reminded him so much of the way Lisa's lips felt against his skin.

He smiled and remembered the promise he spoke to himself at the conclusion of Lisa's memorial service. _"'I will never say good-bye, Lisa…never'," _he repeated to himself. _"How can I say good-bye when I still need you to take care of me, to give me strength…when I love you so much?"_ Rick shook his head and closed his eyes. "I can't," he whispered aloud. "I just can't."

It took him several more minutes to finish cleaning up and make himself presentable. Finally Rick opened his bedroom door and walked out the short hall. His senses were assailed by aromas that told him that coffee and bacon were ready. The lack of a burnt toast smell, broken dishes and Zentraedi cursing was evidence that Miriya was not the person in the kitchen making breakfast. One down, two to go. He approached the door and stopped before looking inside. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. There was no humming come from inside the kitchen; in fact, there was complete and total silence. That could only mean that Max was inside…Jean always hummed as she worked and Max had learned over the years the fine art of being stealthy to avoid waking Dana and Miriya.

Rick nodded and reached over to push open the kitchen door.

----------------------------------

At 0730, Max opened the door to the quarters of his best friend and walked in as though it were his own home. The fact that he had spent more time in Rick's place than his own since Lisa died had nothing to do with the feeling of familiarity and comfort. He had always felt comfortable enough in the home of Rick and Lisa Hunter to feel that way, and he knew with all of his heart and soul that Rick and Lisa both felt the exact same way about his home.

Max stopped just inside the door and looked around and listened. As expected there was so sign of Rick yet. Breakfast hadn't been started and there was no mouth watering aroma of coffee filling the air.

Max sighed in sympathy for his friend and moved to the kitchen to get things started. As he turned on the coffee maker he ran over the schedule for the day in his mind. There was nothing of Earth shattering importance going on as far as he knew, and if there was he would know…his new rank and some people's perception of Rick's inability to totally command made sure of that.

No, he would let Rick sleep in today. It had been less than two weeks since Lisa died, and though Rick insisted on getting back in the saddle, so to speak, Max knew that keeping up the appearance of the strong leader was taking a lot out of him, mentally and physically. True, Rick had shown moments of genuine levity, almost seeming like his old self. But Max knew it wasn't going to last, at least not for long…Lisa's death was too big a blow to Rick for him to rebound so easily. Rick would rebound, Max knew, but it would take time. Lots of time.

And because of that, he and Vince had agreed to give Woods more time to find something concrete before telling Rick Woods' suspicions. They ended up giving him more time than they had intended, but that time was running out. Max knew he couldn't keep Rick out of the loop much longer. Maybe he couldn't keep him in the dark any longer at all. Max made a mental note to talk to Woods in the evening and figure out what to do. Rick deserved to know that Lisa may have killed by one of their own.

Max continued to get breakfast ready for Rick and himself. He would never admit it to Rick, but he waited until now to get something to eat, despite the fact that he had been up for nearly two hours and he was starving. It was a deliberate move on his part to wait. That way Rick would feel obligated to have something as well, and he couldn't accuse him of getting something specifically for his breakfast.

Max smiled at the deviousness of his plan. Simple but effective. Every Veritech pilots motto.

He looked at the tray upon which he had been placing everything, and after a quick survey to ensure that everything was there, Max picked up the tray and headed for the kitchen door. He was just about to reach for swinging door when it suddenly flew towards him. There was nothing he could do as the door made contact first with his outstretched hand and then his right knee, sending him backwards towards a meeting with the floor that he was fairly certain wouldn't be pleasant.

And it wasn't. His tailbone impacted the deck with a resounding thump, sending a shockwave of pain up his spine and spreading out through the cheeks of his ass which caused him to yelp loudly…at least he thought it was a yelp. He managed to keep from going all the way back, instead tensing every muscle he had so he could stay in a seated position. It took everything he had, but he managed to keep the tray balanced without even spilling one drop of coffee.

A moment later the door slowly opened again and Rick stuck his head through. Max could see the dread, concern and embarrassment on the face of his friend.

"You okay, Max?" asked Rick slowly. He walked in and reached down to relieve Max of the tray, placed it on the nearby counter and then held out his hand to help Max up.

"I'll live," replied the General as he took Rick's hand. Rick pulled him up and Max grabbed Rick by the shoulders and asked dramatically, "Did the breakfast make it?"

Rick smiled and nodded towards the counter. Forgetting about his sore tailbone, Max ran to it and made sure that everything was still there and okay before allowing himself to relax.

"Thank God!' exclaimed Max as he picked up the tray again."I'm starving." He stopped in front of Rick. "Could you, ah, get the door please?"

Rick nodded and held the door open and Max walked through to the table, and after setting the tray down on the table he pulled out two chairs and sat in one of them. He looked up to Rick, adopting a firm expression, telling the Admiral that he would not eat unless Rick ate something as well. It was all part of his plan. He had breakfast ready and had already told Rick that he was starving. Now, with his facial expression and the fact that he had not touched anything yet, and wouldn't until Rick did, he knew that Rick would feel obligated to sit and eat.

Max managed not to smile when Rick sat down and tentatively picked up a piece of toast. Max did the same, only with slightly more enthusiasm, and watched as Rick nibbled at his toast.

"Something wrong, Rick?" asked Max. He hated asking what sounded like a stupid question. Rick just lost the woman he loved, of course something was wrong. But he couldn't figure out a way to ask if something else was wrong without bringing up Lisa's death, so it was the old between a rock and a hard place scenario.

Rick managed a half smile and set down his toast. "No, well, no more than usual." Rick sat back and folded his arms across his chest. "It's just…every time I think I've gotten over a hump, or taken a step forward, something happens and I find myself in worse shape than before." He looked at Max beseechingly. "Does that make any sense?"

Max took a sip of his coffee and sighed. "Sure it does, Rick." He smiled at his friend. "No one expects you to just wake up one day and be over this. Like I've told you before, it's going to take time to heal, or at least be able to deal with it."

"I know, Max," said Rick softly. "I just feel her so strongly." Rick leaned forward suddenly and placed his elbows on the table. "Like just now when I was shaving. I cut my cheek and I'm sure I felt her hold my cheek and then kiss me. Just as though she was in the bathroom with me." Rick lowered his head. "It just felt so damn real."

Max leaned over and reassuringly squeezed Rick's right forearm. "I know, Boss. I wish…"

The comm. unit sounded with a tone indicating a priority message and Max jumped up to get it. He looked at Rick as he picked up the headset, and it relieved him to see that Rick was alert and seemingly ready for action.

"General Sterling," said Max into the comm. unit. He listened to the person on the other end, and only seconds later he slammed it down and said, "There's been an accident on the flight deck." On cue the emergency siren sounded.

Rick was already moving to the door as he yelled, "Let's go!"

Max stood there for a second, then yelled, "Wait for me!" and took off after Rick.

----------------------------------

In another section of the ship, Jean Grant sat at her desk earlier in the morning than usual trying to get through the latest crew health evaluations, checking to see who had visited the infirmary, why they came and how they were treated. She had reports from all the doctors under her command, that is all of them save one.

The thought brought a smile to her round face. Alistair Pullman was a valued colleague and brilliant physician. Yet, it always amazed her that someone so intelligent could be lacking in something as vital to a doctor as a sense of time.

He was now officially two days late with his evaluations and reports, which meant that he would be arriving any minute with…

"Forgive the intrusion, Dr. Grant," interrupted a familiar voice from her doorway which caused her smile to widen.

Pullman walked in and stood in front of Jean's desk with a small stack of folders held in his hands out in front of him like an offering to a god. Jean couldn't help but notice the frown, more pronounced than usual, upon his face, or the fact that he had an air of uncertainty about him.

Pullman took a breath as if he were about to speak, but then let the air out in a rush without saying a word and looked down to his files.

"What is it, Doctor?" asked Jean, suddenly concerned with Pullman's more unusual than usual behavior.

Pullman looked at Jean quickly as if she had surprised him with her question, and then looked back down to the folders in his hand. "I have these for you," he said abruptly. He placed them roughly on the desk, then turned on his heel and walked towards the door without saying any more.

Jean shook her head in amazement…he never even gave her the chance to thank him or further question what was bothering him. She was just reaching for the top folder when Pullman barged back into her office, strode purposefully up to Jean's desk and snatched the file from her grasp.

Slightly annoyed and more than a little shocked, Jean asked crossly, "What are you doing, Alistair?"

Pullman ignored the question and instead opened the folder and began to read its contents to himself. A moment later he spoke, though without taking his eyes off the file in his hands.

"This officer is the one I told you about some time ago. She obtained a virulent infection that seemed to resist every treatment, though the latest prescription I gave her seems to be working rather well." He closed the file and finally looked at Jean. He seemed to realize that he had been clutching the file, for he held it out abruptly for Jean to take.

She took the file, but instead of opening it and reading what was inside, she gently placed the file on her desk and folded her hands together on top of it.

"Alistair," she began calmly, and when he focused on her she asked, "what is it?"

Pullman sighed. "The infection was caused by a bacteria that was matched in our database," he explained. "But her story about how she came in contact with the bacteria is suspicious." He shook is head slowly. "I don't know."

Jean's brow furrowed in confusion. "Is it life threatening?"

Pullman shook his head again. "Not now, no."

Jean looked down to the folder. "Alistair, I don't…"

"I believe she is deliberately misleading me in regards to how she could have received this infection," announced Pullman in a rush.

"She lied," clarified Jean.

Pullman nodded stiffly. "Yes. The story she concocted is total rubbish." Jean nearly smiled at the change of posture in her friend. She knew that people skills weren't his strong suit by any means. Even with her, his interaction was stiff and curt at the best of times, and she was as close to a friend as he had. Seeing him rendered so unsure of himself by someone compelled her to help.

Jean raised an eyebrow at her friend and colleague. "What kind of story?"

Pullman waved his hand dismissively at Jean. "It's not important. Suffice it to say it was a total fabrication. There is no way she could have come into contact with the bacteria that caused the infection the way she said she did." Pullman shoved his hands into the pockets of his white lab coat and became perfectly still.

"Well," said Jean with a determination she hoped would ease Pullman's mind a little, "let's see what we can figure out."

Pullman's frown lightened up a little and he nodded. Jean was just about to open the folder when an alert sounded throughout the infirmary.

The head nurse was at the door in an instant. "Dr. Grant! Dr. Pullman! There's been an accident on the hangar deck!"

Jean was already up and running before the nurse was able to finish her message, followed closely by Pullman. The nurse jumped out of the way to allow the doctors to pass and watched as they ran down the short corridor to the exit of the infirmary, slowing just enough to grab an emergency trauma kit each before regaining their top speeds.

When they were gone out of sight, the nurse went into Jean's office and regarded the stack of files.

"I guess these evaluations will have to wait," she said as she gathered the files in her arms. She was almost about to turn around when the file that Jean and Pullman were discussing caught her attention. She reached over and picked up the file of Lieutenant Commander Susan B. Graham, put it on top of the pile and put them in a box in the medical records room for Jean to look at later.

----------------------------------

Woods stepped off the shuttle and surveyed the hangar deck. It was nearly void of life so early in the morning with only a handful of crew working. Soon the main morning shift would start and the usual hustle and bustle would commence. A junior flight crew member walked up to him and asked him how his trip was. He answered her and started to head for Fleet Intelligence with the data screens that Zolan gave him when a strange sound caught his attention.

He stopped and looked up just in time to see what his career military mind easily identified as a motorized munitions cart heading straight for the shuttle.

What he did next was by pure instinct. Without conscious thought, he ran back and grabbed the flight crew member who had started inspecting the shuttle's undercarriage, pushing her as far away from what was going to be the impact area as possible, ignoring the fact that he could have easily escaped the inevitable blast.

There was just enough time left before he got caught in the explosion to verify that the cart was carrying a single short range missile, and that, across the bay in the direction from which the cart had come, Sue Graham was hiding behind one of the massive vertical support pillars.

----------------------------------

It had worked surprisingly well, her little impromptu 'accident' for Major Woods. She stayed and watched for a few moments as the flight crew scrambled to contain the fire, and as she watched the flames dance around the now blackened shuttle, she counted her lucky stars.

She was fortunate to have overheard Baxter's conversation with Woods the previous evening; she was fortunate that, as a pilot, she knew about the hangar deck protocols and where everything was kept…everything like the munitions trolleys; and she was extremely lucky to have found a trolley this morning with just one small missile on it, enough to take care of her latest problem, but not big enough to cause an undue amount of suspicion or an unnecessary amount of damage.

The fire was extinguished rather quickly, and Sue looked away from the shuttle. She genuinely liked Woods, so much so that she sincerely regretted what she had to do to the point where she hesitated. For what seemed like an eternity her finger had hovered a millimeter above the power button of the trolley as what was left of her humanity warred with her cold logical mind for control over her actions. In the end, the logical side of her mind, knowing the seriousness of her situation demanded action, came out the victor. She pressed the button with her eyes closed, unable to watch herself perform the act that would kill a man she had come to respect and perhaps even admire; a man who had done so much to make her feel welcomed in Fleet Intelligence. She had tried in vain to find another way out, but there was no other way to handle the threat that he was becoming to her ultimate goal. There just wasn't.

As it was, his death didn't eliminate the threat entirely, there was Baxter and the Tirolians who could very well know what Woods knew, but it did buy her some time.

Movement from the main entrance of the hangar deck caught her attention. Rick and Max Sterling roared in through the door, followed in rapid succession by Jean Grant and Pullman.

Sue shuddered and covertly made her way back to the exit she had stationed herself by so she could leave quickly and without being seen.

_"Now,"_ she thought as she walked misty-eyed to her quarters, _"I hope Angie doesn't become a threat as like Woods did."_ Her pace quickened as she considered once again the variables at play in her plan. So far, through careful planning, anticipation and luck she had been able to stay ahead of the variables like Woods. Angie was another one, Pullman yet another. The Sterlings. Jean Grant. They were just some of the many variables that she had to keep a track of in the ever increasingly difficult equation that her plan had become.

----------------------------------

Angie was just finishing up her daily duty log at the main duty station of the _Hermes'_ infirmary when a piece of paper was dropped on the table in front of her.

She tucked her hair behind her right ear and glanced at the first few lines of the type written note and sighed. She looked up into the unhappy face of her temporary CO and couldn't help but share in the sadness.

In her short time aboard the _Hermes_ she had come to realize that it was a place that she could actually call home. The people she had met and worked with were all good people who seemed to accept her for who she was and the work that she did.

Including the woman looking at her so morosely. It was the first time since she'd been on the _Hermes_ that she'd seen the CMO so sad.

Angie averted her eyes and read the rest of the transfer order, which complimented her on her professionalism and so on, and ended with the time for her departure to her new assignment, which in her case was actually her old assignment: the SDF-3.

She was leaving to go back the next morning.

Angie leaned back in her chair, knowing of course that it had been inevitable but finding herself still unprepared to return to the ship.

"I tried, Angie," said Gleason sincerely. "But Jean refused to make the transfer permanent." Gleason sighed and leaned down so that she couldn't be heard by anyone other than Angie. "I even begged but she still wouldn't do it. Apparently there was an accident on the SDF-3 flight deck this morning, something about shuttle and a weapons trolley colliding, and Jean said she really could have used your help."

Angie couldn't help but feel embarrassed, both by the fact that Gleason thought enough of her to beg Dr. Grant to let her stay, and by the fact that Dr. Grant thought so highly of her to refuse the request.

After a moment, Angie swallowed the lump in she found in her throat. "How many people…"

"One fatality," answered Gleason, aware that that would be the first question from Angie's mouth. "Six injured, three seriously, but they're all expected to make it."

Angie shook her head sadly. "Well, I guess I better get packing…when I finish this report that is."

Gleason nodded and turned to walk away.

"Dr, Gleason," called Angie, which caused Gleason to stop and turn to face her. "Thank you for everything. Your confidence in me, your kindness…everything." Angie hesitated as she tried to find the words to appropriately express to Gleason just how much she truly did appreciate everything. Finally it came to her, a phrase that was ripe with tradition and honor. It was perhaps the ultimate compliment that one officer could give another. Angie stood up straight and saluted Gleason as she said respectfully, "It has been an honor serving with you, ma'am."

Gleason was genuinely surprised by Angie's sentiment and actions. After a moment of simply standing there, she shook herself out of her surprise and returned Angie's salute. "The honor was mine, Lieutenant," she replied softly.

Both women lowered their arms and smiled at each other. Angie waited until Gleason left before sitting back down and finishing what would be her last report aboard the _Hermes_.

She took her time, the prospect of packing suddenly seeming like a daunting task; a difficult endeavor whose culmination would likely be the end of her friendship with Sue and most certainly the end of her career.


	30. Chapter 30

Alrighty then. Here is the next chapter. First, let me apologize for how long it took to get this done. Sorry.

Now I must once again offer my sincere thanks to Adena, my ever ready and awesome beta. She's responsible for more of this than even she realizes. Thank you my dear friend.

Thank you too, to all of you who have asked for, begged for and demanded an update (there were even a couple of light-hearted threats). It does the heart good to be wanted.;) And thank you to everyone who reviewed.

End of speech.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Angie woke up and raised her arms above her head to stretch out the kinks in her muscles. It had been three days since she had made sense of all the clues that led to her discovery of Lisa Hunter's delicate state.

Three days since the inner turmoil that had been plaguing her had been shunted aside by her decision to do everything she could to help Lisa and her unborn baby.

Three nights where she had been able to sleep without the guilt causing her to have nightmares about Rick, Lisa, Roy or the unborn child Lisa was carrying. Not that the guilt had totally vanished…it never would. There would always be the souls of four REF pilots crying for vengeance, but Angie figured they might at least partially forgive her if she managed to save Lisa Hunter and her child.

She had been apprehensive the day before when Gleason first informed her of her that her time aboard the _Hermes_ was finished. For a while, she felt dread at the prospect of returning to the SDF-3; sadness at seeing Rick Hunter and anxiety, and fear, at seeing Sue Graham.

It took her some time to realize that it was for the best.

Angie sat up in her comfortable bed, not that it had been uncomfortable before. It hadn't changed one bit, but with the weighty albatross that was her guilt no longer crushing her soul, everything felt better to Angie. As she took a deep breath and slowly released it, she once again went over what she had to do.

The first thing Angie had to do was call Sue and let her know that her temporary reassignment to the _Hermes_ was over. In a matter of hours she would be back aboard the SDF-3; back where Admiral Rick Hunter grieved so needlessly and Sue needed to know that Angie planned to tell Rick everything. Deep down within Angie in a place untouched by time and the current circumstances, lived a small part of her soul that still believed that Sue deserved something from her.

The rest of her soul, the huge portion that had been tainted by their deeds, knew that it was a risk for her and possibly the Hunters. But that tiny piece of her that remained so well protected demanded the courtesy.

Angie snorted to herself at the thought. Anyone looking at this from the outside wouldn't understand why she felt that Sue deserved the courtesy…she wasn't sure she understood it herself anymore, especially knowing that Sue wouldn't go down without some sort of response, but Angie would just have to deal with it when it came. Besides, what could she do to prepare?

Angie let her feet slide to the edge of the bed and then fall to the floor. After slipping on her slippers and a robe she walked to the washroom and looked in the mirror. The wrinkles that had taken up unwanted residence around her eyes had lessened with her decision to tell Rick about Lisa, though they never totally receded. She wasn't sure if they would be a permanent souvenir of her dreadful actions, or if they stayed there as a reminder should she lose her resolve. It had also been days since she saw eyes other than her own in her reflection. Simply her own chestnut brown eyes, not the deep blue eyes of Rick Hunter, nor the emerald green eyes of his wife.

Angie tucked her red hair behind her ears. She had let it grow a little longer over the past few weeks, probably as an attempt to change her appearance enough to wash away the taint she felt over everything. She laughed internally as she thought, _"I never used to be so introspective."_

She straightened herself and looked at her reflection seriously. "It's amazing what a little clarity and positive soul searching can do, isn't it?" she asked her reflection. She laughed at herself as she took a step towards the toilet.

A few moments later Angie sat down in front of the communications unit in her quarters. She contacted the bridge and requested a secure line for transmitting a message to the SDF-3, and when she was informed that the link had been established she began. "Hey Sue…"

----------------------------------

Beep…beep…beep.

A loud groan from the bed was the only indication that Sue Graham heard the comm. unit letting her know that there was a message waiting for her.

_"Figures"_, she thought bitterly, _"the first decent night's sleep I've had in God knows how long and I get a message."_

Sue slowly opened her eyes and saw that it was still only 0710 hours. She closed her eyes tight again and stifled the curse that began to work its way out of her mouth.

Beep…beep…beep.

Sue let go another groan, followed in short order by a hearty sigh. As she rolled over to get out of bed she muttered, "This better be damned important."

Beep…beep…beep.

"I'm coming already!" she shouted at the console. She never even bothered to put on a robe or her slippers; instead she walked barefoot across her bedroom to the communications console and flipped the switch.

After going through the security protocols the message played, and as soon as she heard whose voice was speaking she smiled.

'Hey Sue', came the crisp voice of Angela Marques. 'My assignment aboard the _Hermes_ is finished. I catch the next shuttle out of here, which will be later today…I'm not sure of the exact time.'

There was a hesitation in the message and Sue's smile faltered. She was ecstatic that Angie was coming home, but in the two second lull in the message, Sue realized that something wasn't right.

'Anyway, Sue', continued Angie's voice through the speakers, 'I'll see you later today or tonight sometime. We'll talk then.'

A double tone indicated the end of the message, and so too had ended Sue's smile. In fact a scowl replaced the smile. The tone and deliberateness of Angie's message was more than telling. Something had happened to her aboard the _Hermes_…something had changed.

Gone from Angie's voice was the doubt that Sue had heard in the last week. Absent from her voice was the guilt that could easily be sensed by someone who knew her as well as Sue did. No longer present was the fear of being caught that Sue heard recently.

No, Angie had come to some sort of decision. Sue had no illusions that Angie had accepted what they had done; she never could, despite her best intentions and initial willingness to do so. Angie's apparent newfound comfort meant that Angie had decided to confess and tell Rick that his precious little wife was alive and kicking. Sue winced at the double entendre and her hand automatically went to her lip, remembering all too well how a kick from Lisa Hunter had caused her so much grief.

Sue walked away from the comm. unit to her dresser. Without hesitation she opened the top drawer and removed the box that held her sidearm. It was still loaded and ready to fire, ready to defend her and ready to protect her secret.

Sue took the weapon out of the box and held it sideways against her chest. She closed her eyes for a moment and prayed that she wouldn't have to use the weapon, but when she opened her eyes, they were hardened with the knowledge that she most likely would have to, and that she was willing and able to.

----------------------------------

The night duty officer in the Situation Room came to attention and saluted when he walked in. He'd come here in search of Rick, after finding that his friend wasn't in his quarters. The shuttle explosion and the loss of Tim Woods was another blow for them all. The fact that Rick's quarters appeared to have been vacant for the whole night worried Max.

Max half-heartedly returned the young woman's salute and glanced around the massive room. Not for the first time since Rick promoted him, Max realized what Rick had been talking about all those years about feeling uncomfortable when people saluted him. Max always laughed and told Rick to get used to it, that he deserved it and it was the way things were. Being on the receiving end of some salutes though, had given Max a new understanding of Rick's discomfort, and with that understanding a new sympathy for him.

The woman, Lieutenant Francis, must have known what Max was looking for. She coughed softly, and when Max looked to her, she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head towards Rick's office.

"How long has he been in there?" asked Max quietly.

Francis sighed and her lips turned downward with worry. "Pretty much all night, sir. He called out once to get an update from the infirmary, but other than that we haven't heard a peep from him."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

She smiled in response and headed back into the deeper recesses of the Sit. Room.

Max rubbed the back of his neck as he watched her go. He should have known Rick wouldn't have gone home, that he would have been here all night to wait for news about the shuttle and the victims. Max hoped that the most seriously wounded victim of the explosion, the young woman who Woods saved at the cost of his own life, would pull through.

Max took a deep breath and walked slowly over to Rick's door. As with Rick's quarters, Max never knocked on his office door…he simply opened the door and stepped inside. When he closed the door Max looked across the spacious office to Rick, or more specifically, Rick's back. He was standing at the large viewport off to the left of his desk with his hands clasped behind his back.

"What the hell is going on around here, Max?" asked the Admiral without preamble. Rick continued to gaze out the large window as he continued. "First Lisa and the others, now this."

Max managed to push through his alarm to ask, "Do you think the two incidents are related, Rick?"

Rick turned around and picked up a folder from his desk. He held in the air between them for a moment, then tossed the folder to Max. When Max successfully caught the item, Rick turned around and once again folded his hands behind his back and looked to the stars.

"The Chief and his team went over the hangar deck with a fine-tooth comb," said Rick without any emotion at all, which was very disconcerting for Max. "They found nothing substantial. An examination of the wreckage confirmed what the flight crew member said before they sedated her, that a loaded weapons trolley impacted the shuttle."

Max looked up from the report. He had been reading along with Rick, who had been reciting what was in the report verbatim. "How is she?"

"Alive," responded Rick calmly. "She has some serious burns, but Pullman's quick response and expert treatment probably saved her life. Jean expects her to have a full recovery, though it will be a while."

Max closed the report and held it in his hand. "How did they do this so fast, Rick? It should have taken them at least…"

"I told them I wanted answers," interrupted Rick. "They worked all night. I've only had that report for an hour or so." Rick turned around and sat down in his chair. When he looked to Max he went on. "From what the Chief could see, it was a deliberate act." Rick gave Max a moment to absorb that information. "The evidence and technical details are in the report, but he has no doubt. It was not an accident."

Max collapsed into the nearest chair and decided to play devil's advocate, though he didn't believe a word of what he was about to say. "But that doesn't mean that they are related."

Rick's smile told Max that Rick was unto him. "You don't believe that for a second, Max." Rick shook his head and sighed. "No…she was aiming for the person who was in charge of the investigation: Tim. She knew what she was doing."

"She?" asked Max.

"What?"

Max leaned forward. "You said 'she' was aiming for Woods; that 'she' knew what 'she' was doing."

Rick looked confused. "I did?"

Max nodded his head. "You know something I don't?"

Rick shook his head, slightly unsure as to why he said what he said. "No. It just…it just came out that way. At any rate, now we know that one of us did this, and if they are related, then an REF officer killed Lisa."

"I thought you might have meant," he hesitated for a moment before saying, "someone in particular."

Rick narrowed his eyes, but it wasn't in a suspicious or curious manner, thought Max. It looked to him as though Rick was hoping he'd say something; mention a name, perhaps to verify his own thoughts.

And for a second, Max was tempted to mention Sue's name. But he had no proof, and though he knew Rick would understand that it was a hunch, Max couldn't justify it without some sort of solid evidence.

Max leaned back in his chair with his mind racing over the details. He had always suspected that it had been an insider who was responsible… as had Woods. For a brief moment, Max wondered if telling Rick about that sooner would have prevented Woods' death. The thought was thrust aside when it occurred to him to ask, "What was Woods doing on the flight deck anyway?"

Rick sighed, though Max couldn't tell if it was in frustration or disappointment, then nodded as though he was expecting that question. "I'm not sure. One of his senior officers, Dora Baxter, says that he went to Tirol yesterday to meet with the head of Tirolian Intelligence…"

"Zolan?" asked a wide-eyed Max.

Rick nodded in affirmation. "Baxter says Zolan called Woods day before yesterday, and then Tim went immediately to the planet to see him. Woods told Baxter that the Tirolians had a lead in the shuttle explosion that killed…," Rick swallowed hard and only just managed to whisper, "…that killed Lisa."

Max gave Rick a second to recover and then asked, "What kind of lead?"

Rick shrugged his shoulders. "Tim didn't tell her. I've placed several calls to Tirol, but Zolan is personally overseeing some high level operations and won't be available for a couple of days."

Max could hear the frustration in Rick's voice…it matched the frustration he was feeling as well. He sighed heavily to ease the annoyance and asked, "Anything else?"

Rick nodded and reached over to pick up an object off his desk that Max hadn't even noticed. It was charred, blackened by what must have been a severe heat.

"It's a Tirolian data screen," explained Rick, "though you wouldn't know by looking at it." Rick handed the ruined device to his friend and leaned back in his chair. "There were several found in the vicinity of…well, where Tim was found. As you can probably guess, it's useless. Whatever data was on it is irretrievable. The others were in even worse shape."

Max studied the device in his hand, and then placed it on Rick's desk. After wiping his hands in a tissue he took from Rick's desk, he looked at his friend. Rick looked completely drawn. The lines around his eyes and mouth had become even more pronounced than they had been the previous day, and the gray hair around his temples was spreading. _"It's aging him like nothing else has before,"_ thought Max worriedly. Never before, no matter what Rick had been through, had he changed so much.

To Rick he said, "So what have we got?"

Rick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We have very little, until we can find out what it was that Tim found out." He crossed his arms across his chest. "Tim was close to the answer, Max…I'm sure of it. We have to wait for Zolan."

Max nodded his head and sat back. "With Woods gone, who's in charge of Fleet Intelligence?"

"The next senior officer, which would be Baxter," replied Rick.

"Good," said Max with a little more relief than he meant to show, and to his consternation it hadn't gone unnoticed by Rick.

"Something wrong, Max?"

Max hesitated, caught between telling Rick the truth and trying to keep him calm. In the end, the truth won out. "I'm glad Sue isn't in command. I don't trust her."

Something flashed in Rick's eyes at the mention of Sue's name, but he only nodded his agreement with that statement, and Max pressed on. "I also have a little confession to make. We, that is myself, Vince and Woods, suspected that REF officers sabotaged Lisa's shuttle." Max had to stop and try to wet his throat, as the look Rick was giving him could have withered a cactus. "We didn't want to tell you…"

"Because you weren't sure I'd be able to handle it," finished Rick in a low voice.

To Max's surprise, and relief, there was no anger in Rick's voice. Just understanding.

Rick smiled a half smile and said, "Why don't you tell me everything you know, Max?"

----------------------------------

Sue entered her office and sat down at her computer. After typing in her password and instituting an encryption program, she brought up the file containing the virus that would shut down the ship.

She went over the details one last time to ensure that she had anticipated every possible contingency. She had to be thorough. It was coming to an end, she knew, and the only way for her to succeed was to be totally sure she knew what would happen and when it would happen.

She leaned back in her chair and watched the flashing prompt in her screen.

"Do you wish to enable program? Type 'y' for yes or 'n' for no," she read aloud.

She had very little choice now, didn't she? It would not take long for Sterling or Grant to find out that Woods had gone to Tirol to follow up on a lead. That Zolan was incommunicado was fortunate, but temporary. She could not afford to count on his being indisposed for long. She didn't know what Zolan had discovered, but she had been able to find out that Vidam had been taken into custody. It was very possible that that little weasel had something to tell the Tirolians, especially if it meant saving his own slimy skin. She was fairly certain that he hadn't figured out her identity, but she could no longer afford to make that assumption.

Besides all of that, she had a more pressing matter. Angie would be returning in a few hours, and Sue had no illusions as to Angie's intentions. She knew Angie was coming back with a new insight, and that new insight included going to Rick and blabbing to him about her plan.

It would end soon, and she would have what she wanted from Rick or she would not be alive to face her failure.

"_Either way,"_ she thought with a vicious smile, _"Lisa will not have him again."_

She leaned down to pick up the bag she had deposited next to her chair when she sat down. She opened the bag and removed a small bottle with several pills inside. She opened the bottle, took out one of the tiny pills and put it in her mouth and swallowed it. It could very well be the last of the pills she would be able to take, which gave her a three day window; just seventy-two hours to make it happen. She replaced the bottle, then looked at the bag and sighed.

Also inside was her sidearm, which she took out and checked. She verified that it was loaded and ready for firing, and then replaced the weapon inside. She patted the bag appreciatively and then gently set it down on the floor next to her.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, running over the schematic of the ship that she had committed to memory, where the emergency bulkheads were and remembering their override codes, and remembering where she had placed certain items should she need them. In her mind she traced the routes to the areas of the ship she would need to get to, and in her mind's eye she could see herself running through the ship, opening the bulkheads with her codes and escaping from the ship. The only drawback was that she couldn't reseal the bulkheads behind her. They would be able to track her and follow her, but she would deal with that when the time came.

Crippling the ship would be enough, she figured. But in the event that it wasn't, there was still Andrea on Tirol. Her services may or may not be needed, but the program would trigger an automatic message to Andrea telling her to get ready, just in case.

Sue opened her eyes and studied the programming in front of her for one more minute before reaching over, and with a slender index finger hit the key that would seal the fate of Lisa Hunter, and fulfill her greatest desire.

Her communicator buzzed and she picked up the receiver. "Commander Graham."

'Lieutenant Cartwright, ma'am,' said the male voice on the other end. 'You asked to be informed when the shuttle from the _Hermes_ was on approach. The pilot confirms arrival in thirty-two minutes.'

Sue took a deep breath and let it out as she said, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

'Yes, ma'am,' was the response before the line went dead. Sue replaced the receiver and licked her lip. It hadn't even so much as twinged until now.

Sue turned off her computer then checked on the time. Half an hour until Angie was back, until everything came to a head and she would be that much closer to what she had wanted for so very long.

----------------------------------

"That's a lot of speculation, Max," said Rick as he poured two cups of coffee. He handed one to Max then placed his own on his desk. After sitting down, he looked to his best friend. "With no facts to back it up, I can see why you wouldn't tell me."

Max took a sip of coffee and then set his mug down on Rick's desk. "I have to admit, Boss, that I didn't think you'd see it that way."

Rick smiled. "I know you and Vince were concerned about me, Max. And I appreciate it." Rick's smile disappeared and his face became serious. "But from now on you need to tell me everything. We need to figure this out, old friend. All of us. Together."

Max nodded gravely. "You got it Rick."

Satisfied that Max understood what he was saying, Rick nodded once and stood up. "Let's go get some breakfast, then we'll get everything together and see what we can figure out." Rick smiled as he waited by the door for his friend. "And somewhere along the way we'll keep this ship in running order."

It was amazing what a sense of purpose could do to help a person, pondered Max as Rick informed the senior officer that he was leaving. It was all part of the norm recently, Rick going from a man who looked like he lost the world and was struggling to go on, then getting his second wind and looking like the Rick of old. Yesterday and now were prime examples. Only twenty-four hours earlier Max had to force Rick to eat some breakfast and he appeared to be in the grips of depression. Now, with a new threat to his crew and the death of a friend, Rick appeared to have shaken off that depression and seemed to have some sense of purpose again.

The trip to the Mess was silent, save for their footfalls and the occasional return greeting to a passing crew member. When they made it to the Mess, they got their food and looked around. When they saw a lone figure sat at one of the far tables, near the view port, they looked to each other and then moved to sit with her.

"Mind if we have a seat, Doctor?" asked Rick.

Jean looked up and a smile came to her lips. "Of course not," she responded, indicating the empty chairs at her table. "Vince had some things to take care of, and I could use the company."

Rick and Max took their seats, Rick to Jean's left and Max to her right. After a moment Rick spoke up.

"I'm glad I found you actually," said Rick to Jean. "I wanted to commend you on some wonderful work yesterday." Rick smiled slightly at her. "You saved lives yesterday."

"I didn't save everyone though," Jean said quietly.

Rick glanced at Max and saw sympathy shining through his eyes. "You did everything you could, Jean. You did more than most could or would." Rick reached over and covered her small hand with his. "You ran headlong into an area of the ship that had just experienced an explosion in an attempt to help people. Make no mistake, Doctor, you did help them." He gave Jean's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You should be very proud of what you did yesterday, Jean, you and Dr. Pullman."

Jean smiled weakly as Rick removed his hand from hers. "Thank you, Rick. I needed to hear that." She took a small sip of juice and sat back in her chair. "And I'll give Alistair your compliments when he comes back."

"Back?" asked Rick.

Jean nodded. "I gave him some time off. He's had a bit of a stressful time lately, and with Angie coming back today, I thought it would be a good time for him to take a couple of days. He left this morning to go to Tirol." Jean smiled wryly. "Apparently someone has set up a pretty decent golf course around Base Epsilon."

"Golf course?" Rick shook his head, then the rest of Jean's sentence registered in his mind. "Angie is coming home today?" asked Rick excitedly.

Realization dawned on Jean as she realized that Rick hadn't known. "Yes! She should be her within an hour or two. I thought you knew."

Rick shook his head and felt the smile erupt on his face before he even thought about doing it. "That's nice. I was beginning to worry that Gleason or Rosario had convinced her to stay aboard the _Hermes_."

Jean chuckled at that. "Gleason made a compelling argument about keeping her, even going so far as to beg a little, but I told her we need Angie here." Jean smirked as she added, "I just hope Angie wants to come back."

"With you as a boss, why wouldn't she want to come back?" said Max.

Jean laughed softly and said, "Flatterer."

"Suck up is more like it," piped up Rick as he took a sip of coffee.

"Hello pot," said Max without missing a beat, "my name is kettle."

All three friends stopped what they were doing and then looked at each other. A moment later, their laughter filled the Mess.

----------------------------------

Angie's anxiousness manifested itself outwardly by tapping her right foot against the deck of the shuttle. She had never really been prone to such acts when nervous or excited, but then again this was hardly something as ordinary as an academy exam or going into a war zone. This was something else all together.

Internally, her stomach was roiling at the thought of what was about to happen. Facing Sue and telling her that it was over was going to be the hardest thing she had ever had to do in her life. Telling Rick Hunter about it all would most likely be worse, but first she had to concentrate on getting through to Sue.

And earlier that day she thought she had made her peace with her decision.

"Buckle up, Lieutenant," came the voice of the co-pilot from the cockpit. "We're on final approach and should be on the deck in twenty minutes."

"Yes, sir," replied Angie. She reached down to fasten her safety belt, only to find that in her preoccupation with her personal situation she hadn't even undone it in the first place.

Angie shook her head at herself and closed her eyes, wishing with ever increasing futility that her life would be simpler.

----------------------------------

Lisa slowly opened her eyes, and even before her eyes began the booting up process and focused on anything, her right hand shot to her stomach and gently caressed it.

And then, despite the realization that she was still in this cursed cave and not in Rick's arms as she had just been dreaming about, she smiled.

The realization that she was pregnant was just the thing she needed to grab onto to get her through this ordeal; just the life preserver she needed to keep her mind focused on staying as healthy and ready as possible.

More than that, however, along with that realization came the feeling, the sense that her time alone would soon be coming to an end. She didn't know if that intuition was brought on by the fact that she now knew she wasn't by herself literally, that a life was growing within her, or by some sort of premonition telling her that her rescue was at hand.

She reached over and opened a bottle of water, took several sips and put the cover back on. A quick head count told her that there was still a fair amount of full bottles remaining. The same was true of the ration packs. She wouldn't starve to death or die of dehydration for quite some time.

The only thing that truly worried her now, besides what Sue was planning for Rick and Roy, was how her current situation would affect her unborn baby. Jean had impressed upon her some time ago that getting pregnant at her age could be complicated, though not impossible. In fact, Jean stressed that with the proper conditions and monitoring, Lisa would be perfectly capable of carrying and delivering a perfectly healthy baby.

And therein lay the problem. She was hardly in a position to receive monitoring, and she was fairly certain that the cave and ration packs didn't fall under the category of 'proper conditions'.

She sighed looked at the ceiling of the cave, though in her mind and heart she was looking well beyond the confines of her rock prison, beyond the atmosphere that surrounded this all but dead moon, and far into the reaches of space, and gazing into the heart of the man she knew would come to her rescue, and the rescue of their son or daughter.

----------------------------------

Angie stepped onto the flight deck of the SDF-3 and walked towards the main exit of the bay. So intent was she on her goal of leaving the flight deck that she would have walked straight into a line of security tape surrounding a damaged shuttle if not for the verbal warning issued to her by a security guard who was guarding the area.

She stopped and looked up at the officer, then to the shuttle. Her eyes opened wide in awe of the destruction that had been visited upon the shuttle. "What happened?"

Even before the guard responded she knew that it must have been the accident to which Gleason had referred the previous day.

"Shuttle exploded, ma'am," replied the guard needlessly. That the shuttle exploded was more than obvious.

She looked over at him, then back to the shuttle. It was black and torn to pieces. How could anyone have survived?

"I was told there was only one fatality. Do you know who it was?" she asked without halting her survey of the damage.

"Yes, ma'am. It was Major Woods, from Fleet Intelligence."

Angie coughed in surprise and her head turned rapidly towards the guard. "Major Woods?"

The guard nodded. "Yes, ma'am. He was just getting off when the explosion happened. He saved a crew member who was beginning to service the shuttle, but he didn't make it."

Angie opened her mouth to ask something, but for a moment she couldn't remember what the question was. Too much was going through her mind. After several moments she managed to sift through everything else and ask, "What caused the explosion?"

The guard cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably in his place. "I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am. The investigation is still officially ongoing."

She looked back and forth between the shuttle and the security officer a couple of times before finding her voice to say, "That's quite all right. Thank you."

The guard nodded in response and Angie began to walk around the perimeter in the direction of the door. Now that she no longer needed to focus on conversation, her mind shifted to thoughts of Sue, and what she would gain from the death of the lead investigator into the death of Admiral Lisa Hunter.

With Woods gone the investigation would stall, if only for a short time. _"Could Sue be capable...?"_she laughed to herself before she finished the question. Of course she could be capable of killing Woods; look at what she had done so far. But what Sue had apparently failed to realize that every new death, every new immoral act, dragged Angie's soul that much farther into hell.

Angie walked off the deck with one last glance at the ruined shuttle.

"_This ends…now,"_ Angie thought resolutely. She had one thing to do first however.

She wasn't **that** naïve. She realized that if Sue truly went off the deep end, and that was a very real possibility, there would be no one else to help Lisa, save for Andrea Grace, but she wasn't even aboard the ship. Add to that that her involvement was less than Angie's meant that Grace would be less inclined to betray Sue.

That left one other option: leave a message. She would write an e-mail and instruct her computer terminal to send it to someone at a certain time. That way, should something happen to her, someone would still know about Lisa and where she was.

She went into her quarters, dropped her bag next to the door and walked to her computer terminal. She opened the e-mail program and set the parameters the computer was to use for sending the message, specifically that the message should be sent to its intended recipient at 1900 hours unless she stopped it.

The cursor blinked in the address box, waiting for a command to enter a recipient. It didn't take long for Angie to decide who to send the message to, so she entered the appropriate name.

She read aloud as she typed.

"Dr. Grant. If you have received this letter…"

----------------------------------

"Anyway," said Rick as he dropped his napkin onto his empty plate, "it's time I got back to work."

Jean pushed her own plate away from her. "Me too. I was just about to start the crew evaluations yesterday when the emergency call came in." She sighed and shook her head. "I hate doing them, but the longer I wait the worse it will be. Plus I have to keep a close eye on my patients."

Max smiled at Jean then looked to Rick. "I'll walk with you, Boss, if you don't mind."

"Sure, Max," Rick said as he stood. "Let's go. See you later, Jean."

Jean stood up as well. "Yes, sir."

They all walked to the door together, and turned to go their separate ways when Rick spoke. "Jean." When she turned to face him he added, "I meant what I said. Good work."

Jean smiled. "Thanks, Rick."

Rick nodded at his friend and turned to walk to the Sit. Room and a moment later Max fell into step beside him.

Again the walk was silent until Rick asked, "What's going on with the Shadow fighters, Max?"

Max smiled to himself. The fact that Rick was curious about the fighters was another very good sign concerning his improving mental state. "Good. The prototype in the secondary bay is fully functional. The pre-flight checks are all green and the test flights begin in a couple of days."

"Good," replied Rick. "What about security?"

"Guards inside and outside the bay. The locks are computerized, but Miriya and I decided to put them on a separate system than the other secure locks, which limits access. Only the tech crew, you, me and Miriya can get in. We haven't even secured access for the pilot yet."

Rick nodded. "With everything going on, that's a good idea." Rick slowed as they approached an intersection, and instead of turning right to go to the Sit. Room he turned left.

Max was caught by surprise, but caught up quick enough. "Where are we headed, Boss?"

"Hangar deck," replied Rick. "I want to see the shuttle again."

----------------------------------

Angie walked up to Sue Graham's door and looked at it as though it were about open up and swallow her. She had gone to Fleet Intelligence only to discover that Sue had left her office only minutes before she got there to go home. Angie swallowed hard; it was easy to see that Sue wanted to have this discussion in private.

Not that that was a bad thing for Angie. The less that others heard of this, the better. In the meantime, Angie knew that once the whole thing became public, there would be keeping nothing secret.

Still, she was grateful to be able to confront Sue without an audience.

She was about to announce her presence when the door flew open and Sue grabbed her in a very tight hug, putting her senses on alert and shocking her senseless at the same time.

"It's great to see you, Angie!" Sue exclaimed excitedly. "I've missed you so much!"

Angie fought for a breath as Sue squeezed her even tighter. "Sue…Sue…I can't breathe." She gulped in some air. "SUE!"

Sue released her and pulled her inside without another word and pushed her onto the couch. Angie grimaced and tucked her hair behind her ears and looked to Sue, who had taken up residence in the chair across from her.

Angie narrowed her eyes as she studied Sue for a second. She appeared to be very happy to see her and her lip seemed to be healing. The way Sue had her hands on her knees as she leaned forward in her chair suggested she was genuinely excited.

But Angie knew that appearances could be deceiving, even more so where Sue was concerned.

"I've really missed you, Angie," said Sue with a large smile.

Angie sighed, totally unable to read whether or not the person she thought she knew so well was being truthful or not. No longer able to watch what was real affection in the eyes of her friend or the greatest acting performance of all time, Angie averted her eyes and looked to the floor.

"How was the _Hermes_?" asked Sue. "Any good looking men over there?"

In another time and place, Angie would have laughed at that. As it was, that simple and ordinary question told Angie something. Sue was trying hard, too hard, to show Angie that everything was normal between them; that the fact that they had killed several of their crew mates, kidnapped their Admiral and killed the head of Fleet Intelligence was unimportant to them and their friendship. Her constant smiles and dancing eyes; the laughter in her voice and the fact that she hadn't once mentioned anything about their crimes or the status of Lisa Hunter were glaring signs of diversion from the real issue.

"It's over, Sue," announced Angie bluntly, and before her eyes the smile on Sue's face disappeared, her eyes losing her fake mirth.

It was a perfect representation of what had happened to Sue since that night in the Sit. Room, of how unhinged she had become. Before that fateful event, Sue had been a true friend, happy and content, but after she felt Rick's lips on hers and threw herself into her obsession with him, their friendship had suffered. Sue became fixated on one thing and one thing only, Rick, and heaven help anyone who tried to stop her.

"Over, Angie?" asked Sue, her voice now devoid of all emotion. She sat back in her chair and shook her head quickly, sending her raven locks flying about her face.

For a moment, Angie thought she saw and heard lightning and thunder swirl around Sue's head. It was her imagination she realized, adding the special effects to add more drama to the scene. As if it needed more drama.

"I've…**WE'VE** come too far to stop now, Angie," added Sue. "And you know it." Sue stood up and faced Angie with her hands on her hips. "What do you want to do? Go to Rick and tell him Lisa is alive?" Sue shook her head and snorted derisively. "If he believes you and after he gets over the shock, he'll ask you how **you**," Sue pointed her finger at Angie, "know that." Sue lowered her hand and continued on with a sardonic smile. "You'll have to admit to him that you were involved in a plot to kidnap his wife. He'll be flabbergasted and will ask you what you mean. You will be forced by your newfound conscience to declare that **you**," again Sue pointed her finger directly at Angie's chest, "were involved, eventually admitting that you set the bomb that killed four people." Sue folded her arms across her chest and lifted her right hand up to her mouth, tapping her index finger against her lips as if deep in thought. "I think right about then he'd become speechless, which would be just about the time where you would blame the whole thing on me; telling him that you didn't want to do it and that I forced…"

"Enough, Sue!" exclaimed Angie angrily. "I'm well aware of the role I played in this and that I did it willingly." Her voice lowered and she had to fight to keep tears from her eyes. "It's been haunting me ever since we did it."

Sue threw her arms up over her head in frustration. "You knew the plan, Angie! It was laid out for us all to see."

"I don't remember killing the head of Fleet Intelligence being part of the plan!" snapped Angie and for a fleeting moment, Angie saw a spark of regret in Sue's eyes. She calmed herself and added with her voice low, "I know, Sue. I thought it was the right thing to do for you." Angie found Sue's eyes and tried to convey in the look just how much this was hurting her. "But it isn't the right thing, Sue. For you, for me…for anyone. Rick is in a state of despair that he may never come out of. I'm haunted by the specters of the people I killed- I killed, Sue- and you…"

Sue took a step towards Angie. "What about me?"

Angie reflexively swallowed. "You're not the same person you used to be, Sue. You're so cold and unfeeling." Angie stood up and faced her friend. "This has to end."

"No matter the consequences?" asked Sue with eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Angie nodded resignedly. "No matter the consequences."

The way Sue looked back and forth between Angie, the floor and the ceiling told Angie that Sue couldn't grasp the simple truth that she was laying before her.

"I just don't get it, Angie!" she said with exasperation. "What changed? What happened to you on that ship to make you want to turn against me?"

"_She really thinks this is ALL about her,"_ Angie thought. "It isn't about only you anymore, Sue. It started out that way, helping you to get something that you wanted."

"It still is, Angie!" exclaimed Sue as she took a quick step towards Angie. "I still want him! I still need him!"

"You will never have him, Sue," replied Angie calmly. "He loves her and no one else."

Sue whirled around in disgust and walked away from Angie. Angie watched her carefully, looking for any signs that would tell her how it was going to end, but Sue gave away nothing except that she was angry.

That much was obvious.

Sue walked over to her table and leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table and supporting her weight with her arms. Angie could hear her deep breathing. She watched for another moment then made a decision, one that she hoped would help her friend come to grips with reality.

"She's pregnant, Sue," Angie announced a little more loudly than she had intended "Lisa Hunter is pregnant."

Almost in slow motion, Sue lifted her head then slowly stood up and turned to face Angie with a gleam in her hazel eyes that sent chills down Angie's spinal column.

"What?" asked Sue. Her voice dripped with contempt, though Angie wasn't sure if it was directed at her for suggesting such a thing or at Lisa for being pregnant.

Angie nodded and forced her voice to remain even and as soothing as she could manage. "She's pregnant, Sue. I know she is." Angie took a breath looked to Sue. "A baby. We can't let anything happen to an innocent little baby." Angie gave Sue a moment to process the information and then stood up. "We have to let Rick know that he's going to be a father again… that his wife and their unborn child are alive." She took several steps toward Sue, stopping a few feet from her friend, unwilling to get any closer until she could gauge Sue's state of mind.

"A baby?" Sue whispered. She looked into Angie's eyes as though she could see the truth.

Angie nodded but said nothing for several moments. "Sue," she said as she edged closer to her friend. "We have to go see Rick." She moved her left hand up slowly, carefully, and gently placed it on Sue's shoulder. "Now, Sue."

Sue shook her head slowly and mumbled, "Can't be pregnant." She steadied herself and looked sadly at Angie. "Are you sure?"

Angie nodded again. "There's no doubt in my mind. We can't do it, Sue. We can't kill a child, an innocent little boy or girl."

Sue blinked her eyes as if to try to focus her eyes on something, and Angie hoped that that something was the truth.

"Give me a, ah," Sue began. She stopped and took a couple of breaths and tried again. "Give me a couple of minutes, Angie. I need to…I need to…"

"Go ahead," Angie said with a gentle squeeze of Sue's shoulder. "I'll wait right here."

Sue nodded and went into her room and shut the door behind her. Angie narrowed her eyes at the door, and then crept silently toward it. When she reached the door, she turned her head and leaned toward it.

And listened.

----------------------------------

Sue shut the door and made it to her dresser before her emotions forced her to lash out at something. In this case, the something happened to be a small jewelry box on her dresser. With a decisive and angry swipe of her right hand she sent the little decorative box flying across her room as her mouth betrayed her and shouted, "No!"

She breathed deeply in and out, then walked over to her bed and plopped down onto it with an anger she had never felt before. There was no reason to believe that Angie was lying. In fact, Sue could tell that Angie was not lying, that she sincerely believed what she was saying.

"_Pregnant!"_ screamed Sue to herself. It didn't change her mind, of course, it simply infuriated her that the universe would be so cruel as to mock her by allowing Lisa to get pregnant with Rick's child. The rage that welled up inside her at the thought of Lisa Hunter carrying a piece of Rick inside her now, at this time when she was so close to getting what she wanted, was all consuming.

But she had to control it. Angie was outside her bedroom door; waiting for her to come out to go and tell Rick what they had done.

"_Right!"_ thought Sue with an internal snort. Instead she reached down to the floor by the foot of her bed, and felt inside her bag for her sidearm. She pulled the weapon out and made sure the safety was disengaged. With that, Sue took a deep breath and stood up. She hid the weapon in her hand behind her back and walked to the door.

She reached forward with her free hand and opened the door as she said, "All right, Angie. Let's go find…" She looked all around her quarters, only to find them empty.

----------------------------------

Angie walked along the corridors of the SDF-3 in search of Admiral Rick Hunter. She hoped with all of her heart that Sue would see reason and understand and accept what had to be done, but Angie knew the second she heard the crash emanate from Sue's room that her anger was in control…not her mind. It left her with no alternative but to leave and find Rick herself and tell him the truth.

It didn't take long for her to reach Rick's quarters. She knocked on the door and waited for him to come to her so that she could right the wrong she had perpetrated. After several moments with no response from within, she knocked again, and again their was no response.

"_Sit. Room,"_ she realized. It was late morning and he should be at work. She sighed and began to journey to Rick Hunter's domain. To her surprise, she felt calm, at peace with what she was about to do. She thought she would have been shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, but she wasn't.

So it was that she was smiling as she entered the Sit. Room, just in time to hear one of the officers within to tell another that Admiral Hunter was on the flight deck inspecting the shuttle that had exploded. Angie turned on her heel and exited the Sit. Room before the doors had even finished closing.

Her steps echoed the peace she felt within herself; sure and steady, confident with the knowledge that she was finally doing the right thing. She walked until the hangar deck doors parted for her and she entered the main flight deck of the SDF-3.

She only had to step across the threshold in order to see Rick. He was standing just on the inside of the barrier tape that had been erected around the ruined shuttle, talking with Max Sterling and another person she didn't recognize.

She took a deep breath, not to summon strength or calm herself, but more out of reflex. She strode toward the Admiral, almost smiling when he looked toward her and smiled. He waved her over and she kept walking towards him, her guilt edging upward when she realized that he was truly happy to see her.

When she reached him, he surprised her with a tender hug, which she returned as warmly as she could.

"I'm glad you're home, Angie," he whispered, then stepped back so he could look at her. "I hope Captain Rosario and Dr. Gleason didn't try to bribe you into staying."

"No, sir," replied Angie. "They didn't." She stopped and looked at him for a moment. He had aged a little since she'd last seen him, with more gray hair and wrinkle lines on his face. She hoped that she could help with that. "Admiral, I have something very important to tell you, sir." He looked at her inquisitively. "About your wife, sir."

He opened his mouth to speak but said nothing for a moment, until he managed to whisper her name. "Lisa?"

Angie nodded. "Yes, sir." Angie stood up as straight as she was able and looked Rick Hunter dead in the eyes. "Sir, Admiral Lisa Hunter is…"

It was at that point that she felt a blistering pain in her back and she had no choice but to stop what she was saying and gasp. She felt her eyes open wide, then saw a look of pure horror on the face of Rick Hunter. Everything seemed to blur in her eyes as though she were suddenly in a bubble and unable to hear anything, even though she knew that noises were sounding around her. For example, she knew that people were shouting, especially Max Sterling as he moved to stand protectively in front of Rick.

The image of Max protecting Rick worked for a moment to stave off the intense feeling of cold that had begun to invade her body. The part of her that was always a medic realized that the coldness was part of the onset of shock, and she knew it had to do with the mystery pain in her back.

The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Rick shoving Max aside so he could step forward to catch her as she fell towards the cold hard deck.


	31. Chapter 31

Well it's almost been five years…hands up those of you who thought this was an author's note saying I've given up on this! Come on…I know there are more than that. ;)

Truth is I totally lost this one. I've had part of this chapter written for a long time and got motivated (thanks guest reviewer T) to try and do something with it. It's shorter than most of the other chapters, if not all of them, but cut me a little slack. I had to reread most of the Sit Room today, and apart from some grammar errors and rookie mistakes it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I like to think I've grown as an amateur author, formatting wise for example. Some of you may disagree. ;) I've desperately tried with this and while I know it's not worth the wait, consider it a promise that there's more to come, and it won't be five years down the road. I haven't pestered a beta with this, as I haven't talked to my usual beta for it for years…hey Adena. So all boo-boos are mine. If you see any feel free to let me know. D.

* * *

"We're lucky in a sense," muttered Max softly.

Rick looked over to his friend and asked, "How's that?"

Max gestured towards the destroyed shuttle a few meters away from them. "The explosion could have been a lot worse. We're lucky we didn't lose more people." He pointed off to the left and said, "Closer to the fuel pods," then he pointed to the right, "or the ordnance shelves and we would have lost half the ship."

Rick frowned and nodded his head in agreement. He had actually been thinking along the same lines as Max, but was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized what Max was getting at.

Some movement from the direction of the main entrance caught his attention, and when he focused on a familiar woman approaching him he couldn't help but smile.

Angie smiled back at him and he waved for her to come over. As she crossed the distance between them, Rick ducked underneath the security tape and waited. When Angie finally reached him, he pulled her into a warm and tight hug, surprising himself a little.

"I'm glad you're home, Angie," he whispered. He released the young medic and moved back to get a good look at her. To his eye, she seemed a little more comfortable than she had been the last time he saw her, a little more at peace with herself. He hoped it wasn't because she had such a great time aboard the _Hermes_ that she was considering a permanent transfer. He smiled kindly at her and said, "I hope Captain Rosario and Dr. Gleason didn't try to bribe you into staying."

Angie looked a little embarrassed and said, "No, sir, they didn't." After a moment of hesitation she said seriously, "Admiral, I have something very important to tell you, sir."

For a moment he thought she was going to say that she was in fact requesting a transfer. He forced down the disappointment bubbling up in his chest and fixed her with a curious look.

"About your wife, sir," she clarified softly.

Rick didn't know what to think or say about that. In the moment or two it took him to say something, images of Lisa and their life together played within his mind. "Lisa?" he asked uncertainly.

Angie nodded at him with a sad look in her eyes. "Yes, sir." She looked at him and said, "Sir, Admiral Lisa Hunter is…"

There was an enormous bang from behind Angie, a thunderous clap that sounded eerily familiar to Rick. It wasn't until he saw Angie's eyes bulge open and heard her gasp in pain that he was able to comprehend exactly what the sound was.

A shot from a REF standard issue sidearm.

He was about to move over to check on Angie when Max stepped in front of him and began barking orders. As Max and crew members sprang into action, Rick could only watch Angie. Her eyes fixed on him and he had the sense that in that look she was trying to tell him something vitally important. Then, as if a switch were thrown somewhere within Angie's brain, a serenity seemed to surround her body and her eyes dulled and then fluttered shut.

She wavered and he pushed back Max, against his protests, to break Angie's fall. He just managed to catch her in his arms and lower her gently to the deck, maneuvering so that when he knelt down he was able to cradle her upper body in his arms, his left arm supporting her neck while his right arm went around her to pull her closer to him.

When his right hand found a spot on her back that was wet and warm, he quickly removed his hand and undid his uniform tunic, hastily slipping it down over his right arm. When his right arm was free, he used it to support Angie while he shook the tunic down over his left arm. When his tunic fell to the deck, his left arm went back to support her neck, and he used his right hand to grab the tunic and hold it to her wound.

He was about to shout for help when something caught his attention, something that chilled him to the bone and infuriated him at the same time.

Standing by the main entrance to the hangar deck with her arms raised above her and her hands resting behind her head, was none other than Sue Graham surrounded by three security officers who had their weapons pointed at her.

And as Rick instinctively and protectively pulled Angie even closer to him, the puzzle began to come together.

* * *

When Max had heard the shot, he'd done what came naturally to him: he protected Rick. It was pure instinct that made him step in front of his friend, something that had been ingrained in him from the second that Roy introduced him and Ben to their new superior officer aboard the SDF-1. It went farther than a subordinate's sense of duty to protect his CO, however, even if that was where it had started. Rick was his friend, his brother, and Max would take a bullet for him as surely as he would take a bullet for Miriya or Dana.

So there was no hesitation at all when he moved his body into the line of fire, and the realization that the assailant was Sue caught him off guard for only a second, though in a brief thought of retrospection he realized it shouldn't have. In fact, his surprise wasn't so much that it was Graham as much as it was the realization that his instincts about her had been right.

He pointed to Graham and shouted to the deck at large, "Arrest that woman!" As three security guards moved in towards her with their weapons drawn, Max looked down to Angie in time to see Rick hold his jacket to Angie's back.

Max turned and pointed to one of the senior flight crew members. "Get some medics down here now!" The woman scurried towards the nearest comm. panel and Max turned his attention back to Sue. By now the guards had disarmed her and she was standing facing them with her hands behind her head. Her mouth was closed, with her lips pressed into a thin line and her eyes, those hazel eyes that could be oh so beautiful if they didn't belong to someone who had just tried to murder a woman in cold blood, nearly glowed with something that Max couldn't describe as anything other than evil.

Max turned and saw that Rick was looking at Sue, and to his surprise Rick's face didn't show any hints of surprise or shock. On the contrary, Rick looked as though he knew exactly what had happened.

* * *

Rick let go as the medics, people who cared for Angie and worked with her on a daily basis, moved in. He listened as they commented on blood loss and shock, and then said that her pulse was weak.

He looked down to his hands and flexed his fingers. They were sticky with the already drying blood- Angie's blood. When the medics gently moved Angie onto a gurney he turned to the entrance and barked, "Clear a path!"

The sea of people instantly parted to make a pathway for the gurney to travel through, and the medics immediately began to move through it. Rick followed them with Max in tow until he reached where the guards held a now handcuffed Sue Graham.

Rick looked deep into her eyes, trying to find some remnants of the woman who in the very beginning of their relationship was a kind and sweet young lady, but he was unsuccessful. All he could see was something that looked more like evil than he had ever seen in any woman's eyes before.

He glanced to the guards and said one word before rushing to catch up to Angie's gurney.

"Brig."

* * *

"She's locked up in the brig, Rick," reported Max when he returned to the waiting room. It had been nearly two hours since Jean had rushed into the OR to try to save Angie's life. Rick had fallen heavily onto the well padded chair that was usually occupied by those waiting to hear news about loved ones. Max sat in the chair next to him, his mind going a hundred miles a minute trying to put it all together.

After forty-five minutes had passed Max had figured it was time to check on Graham and bring Miriya and Vince up to speed. His conversations with Miriya and Vince had been short, telling them only the details he knew with certainty and leaving speculation out of it for now. The chief of security had informed him that Graham was in a cell and under guard.

Rick only nodded at Max's information and turned to keep his vigil on the door to the OR.

"I wish they'd let us know what's going on in there," he said wearily. He rubbed his hands across his face and stifled a yawn. He was so tired. Not necessarily sleepy, but emotionally exhausted.

Max sat back down in his chair and grunted his agreement. "Me, too." He folded his arms across his chest and turned to look at Rick. "The hangar has been sealed off, and Vince has everything under control. I imagine by now the rumors are running pretty wild through the ship."

Rick nodded. Running wild was probably an understatement.

"What did she say, Rick?" asked Max. He hadn't heard what Angie was saying to Rick when Sue shot her and Rick hadn't said anything about it while they waited.

Rick glanced to Max and then looked straight ahead at the far wall. "She said she had something important to tell me…about Lisa."

Max's eyes opened wide in surprise and he leaned forward, still keeping his gaze on Rick. "Lisa? What could she want to tell you about Lisa?"

"I don't know, Max," answered Rick with a shake of his head. "I don't…" He broke off and jumped out of his seat when the OR doors opened and Jean walked through them. She looked so very tired and sick with worry.

"Jean…"

"She's stable," announced Jean, "for now." Jean moved and sat in the chair Rick had vacated and sighed heavily. "We managed to extract the bullet easily enough, but it caused some extensive damage, even though it missed all the vital organs. She lost a lot of blood and we lost her once on the table." Her tear filled eyes bored into Rick's. "I don't know if she's going to make it."

"Jean," said Rick with a hint of desperation as he knelt down in front of her, "I need to talk to her." Jean looked as though she were going to hit him so he added hastily, "Just before Sue shot her she said she had to tell me something important, something about Lisa, Jean."

Jean's mouth opened slightly in surprise and after a moment her eyes asked what her mouth was having difficulty in asking.

"I don't know, Jean," he answered, "that's why I've got to talk to her."

Jean was shaking her head before Rick even finished. "I don't know when, or if, she'll pull out of it, Rick," she explained, a tear trailing down her left cheek adding to the misery in her voice.

Rick reached over and put his hands on the upper part of Jean's arms. "Jean, it could be important. She may know who killed Lisa." He tightened his grips on her arms. "She may be able to point the finger at Sue."

It went against every fiber of Jean's being to suggest what she was thinking. A combination of stimulants, adrenaline and two or three other potent medications could possibly bring Angie around for a few moments, but it would be extremely risky for her. The drug cocktail could easily be too much for her weakened system to handle and send her into a fatal cardiac arrest.

Jean looked at Rick, and seeing the desperation, the hope in his eyes that justice was around the corner and the knowledge that Angie herself would want to help tipped the scales. "I might be able to bring her out of it for a minute," she explained with a heavy heart and matching voice, "but no more, and it's a one shot deal. If she pulls through it I won't try it again, it would just be too dangerous for her."

"Understood," said Rick, his tone of voice relaying to her the worry he felt for Jean and the appreciation for what she was saying.

"Come with me and we'll get you suited up," said Jean. She opened the OR doors and waited for Rick, who followed after giving a nod to Max.

They silently walked into the bowels of the infirmary until they reached the change rooms.

"Go in here and put a gown on over your uniform," instructed Jean. "You're going to need a hat and mask as well. You'll find it all in a series of baskets, which are all labeled. When you're dressed, come out and wait here."

Rick nodded his comprehension and went inside to change. As he found the items Jean had told him to put on the questions kept running through his mind. _"What does Angie know about Lisa? Why did Sue shoot her? What's' going on?"_

It only took a few moments to get dressed, and once he was done he stepped back out into the corridor to find Jean, surgical mask, gown and gloves already in place, waiting for him. He waited as she carefully scrutinized his wardrobe, and after giving him one nod of satisfaction she turned and headed down the corridor.

He followed her without saying anything. Angie was very important to Jean, and what he was asking her to do had to be very difficult for her. He looked up as they came to a stop in front of the ICU and took a deep breath.

"I've got the trauma team on standby," said Jean, and though her voice was slightly muffled by the mask she was wearing he could easily hear her fear. Her brown eyes looked directly into his blue ones. "To be honest, Rick, I'm expecting this to end badly."

What was left of his heart cracked for Jean. "I'm sorry, Jean," he struggled to say.

Jean nodded curtly and said, "Me too."

She pushed the door open and went through and Rick had to rush to keep up with her.

But he didn't have to go far. Angie was in the very first bed, the one closest to the main nurse's station and the door should extra personnel be needed to work on her. Rick took a second to take in all the tubes, wires and machinery surrounding Angie, the sounds and lights enough to keep most people awake under normal circumstances.

But these were far from normal circumstances.

Rick slowly moved towards Angie, well aware that any noise he might make wouldn't make any difference to her state of health. He stopped next to Jean and looked down at the beautiful young woman fighting for her life, the beautiful young woman he suspected had the answers he so desperately needed.

"She's breathing on her own so we could remove the breathing tube," explained Jean, sadness permeating her voice making it thick and hollow at the same time. "If she comes to she should be able to speak, assuming she…"

Rick looked to Jean as the doctor stopped speaking and once again felt so bad for what he was asking her to do.

He was about to tell her to go ahead when she reached down to the table standing as a sentinel next to the bed and picked up a thick syringe. Without saying anything Jean brought the tip of the needle up to Angie's IV and stopped. Jean's hand shook momentarily, the war within her concerning trying this insanity no doubt tearing her apart, but then she pushed it in. There was a soft sigh from Jean as he pressed on the plunger, sending the drug concoction directly into Angie's bloodstream.

As Jean removed the needle from Angie's IV and replaced the now empty syringe upon the table, Rick looked to Angie's face and waited.

And hoped.

He heard the first indications that something was happening. The heart monitor which up to that point was emitting a series of slow and steady beeps to indicate Angie's heart rate, sped up the beeping. Rick didn't have to be a doctor to know something was about to happen.

Then he saw it. Angie's eyelids parted a millimeter, then it happened again and again. After several flutters her eyes stayed open and Rick's sorrow multiplied tenfold for her eyes were blank and almost lifeless.

Rick stepped toward her and leaned forward, then took her left hand in his carefully as to not jostle the IV. He ignored the clamminess of her skin and swallowed the lump that had developed in his throat.

"Angie?" he said softly, afraid to speak too loudly and frightening her. "Angie it's me…Rick. Can you hear me?"

Angie's eyes moved about the room as the heart monitor continued to race. Angie's breathing quickened and Rick chanced a look to Jean. All he could see were her brown eyes above the mask covering her face, but it was all he needed to see the concern she was feeling.

His eyes shot back to Angie's face when she squeezed his hand. His heart spasmed when he found her looking at him with her dull eyes. A tear had already escaped from the corner of her eye and disappeared into her hair. Rick reached over and placed his shaking hand on her left cheek, and all he could do when she uttered a choked sob was to try to smile reassuringly, forgetting that his mask would keep her from seeing it.

Angie tried to speak but all that came out was a gargle. Rick waited as she swallowed and breathed deeply, all the while painfully aware of the alarms sounding from the monitors and Jean nearly rocking back and forth in anxiety.

"Sorry, sir."

Rick had barely heard Angie's whisper so he wasn't sure he'd actually heard what he thought he'd heard. After all, what could she be sorry for?

Her eyes focused a little more on his, and he could see her summon all of her strength to speak to him.

"Sorry, sir," she repeated, her voice strained and rough. "So sorry."

"It's okay, Angie," said Rick as calmly as he could. He tenderly stroked her cheek with his thumb and said, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

Angie let loose a strangle cry that sounded suspiciously like a laugh to Rick.

"So much," she struggled to say. "So much." Angie struggled to take in a breath and said, "She's alive." She drew in another raspy breath. "Lisa….alive."

Rick was certain he'd misheard her. Lisa was dead. His Lisa was gone. She couldn't be alive. But as soon as he heard Angie's next word he knew it was true.

"Sue."

Rick found himself struggling to breathe, the enormity of what Angie was telling him nearly suffocating him with relief, rage and disbelief.

"Preg…she…" Angie's breathing became dangerously fast and shallow, and the alarms that had been screeching from the monitors were joined by even more.

"Shhh," cooed Rick as softly as he was able. He nodded at Angie and said, "You need to calm down, Angie." He glanced meaningfully at the monitors and added, "Please, Angie."

Angie closed her eyes for a moment and tried to compose herself enough to talk to Rick. Her breathing evened out enough for her to speak as plainly as though she hadn't been shot a few hours earlier. "She's pregnant. She's going to have a baby."

Rick felt Jean's grab his shoulder but he couldn't move. All he could do was look into Angie's tear filled eyes and roll the words 'Alive, 'pregnant', 'baby' and 'Sue' around in his head.

Finally Jean managed to pull him away from the bed, wrenching his hands away from Angie and almost flinging him clear across the room. By the time he regained full use of his senses the trauma team was in the room and in full resuscitation mode.

He took a step towards the bed and said, "Jean!"

Jean didn't look up from what she was doing but yelled, "Out, Rick!"

Rick was about to protest when he finally noticed a noise coming from the heart monitor that had his blood running cold throughout his body. He stumbled towards the door, yanking the mask from his face and throwing it to the floor as the steady tone of the flat lining monitor echoed in his ears. He didn't know how, but he managed to make it to the door that separated the ICU and OR from the waiting area.

He pushed on the doors and fell out into the waiting area, landing on his knees with a painful thud. He fell forward, but his arms automatically moved to keep him from falling face first onto the deck. He was vaguely aware of his name being shouted, and then he felt himself being lifted from the floor and being placed into a chair.

His head was swimming in quicksand. Everything that had happened since that cursed day in the Situation Room blazed though his mind, pieces of a terribly evil puzzle that he'd already pieced together was suddenly joined by fresh pieces that by themselves made no sense, but when added to the puzzle made all the sense in the world.

"Rick!"

Rick's attention snapped to the source of the troubled voice, a very worried looking Max Sterling. Max was down on one knee in front of Rick, with his hands resting on Rick's shoulders helping to keep him steady.

Rick looked up and found an equally concerned looking Miriya standing behind Max.

"Rick!" exclaimed Max again. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Rick shook his head and reached up to grab Max's elbow. "I…I don't know," he replied honestly. "Just…just give me a minute."

Rick tried to reign in his runaway thoughts; tried to bring some calm to the chaos that Angie had caused with the few simple words she'd managed to utter.

Finally his mind stopped reeling and he looked once more into his brother's eyes. "She's alive, Max." When Max's brow crinkled Rick said, "Lisa is alive."

Max nearly fell back onto his ass but managed to stay upright, even if he had lost the ability to speak. Luckily Miriya hadn't.

"Explain," she demanded.

Rick looked up to her and nodded in confirmation. "Angie said Lisa is alive." He looked down to Max. "She said she's alive and that she's pregnant."

Max finally found his voice, but when he spoke it was still little more than a whisper. "How?"

"I don't know," Rick said, uncertainty making his voice soft. "But I know who's responsible."

Miriya, Max and Rick all said the same name at the exact same moment with the identical amount of confidence mixed with the same amount of disgust.

"Sue."

The doors to the OR opened again and a haggard looking Jean Grant stumbled through. Miriya quickly moved over to steady her friend on her feet, earning a grateful smile from the doctor who had discarded her mask just as Rick had.

"Jean?" asked Rick as he jumped up from the chair. "Jean how is she?"

Jean's eyes were overflowing with tears and Rick felt his stomach drop into his shoes.

"Stable," announced Jean with a quiver in her voice. "We managed to stabilize her for now, but I can't guarantee she will stay that way." She looked Rick squarely in the eyes and said in a stern voice, "I'm not doing that again, Rick."

Rick stepped towards Jean and drew her into a hug. "I know, Jean," he whispered next to her ear. "And I won't ask you to." He leaned away from Jean and held onto her shoulders. "Thank you for everything, Jean," he said gratefully, but then his eyes turned cold as he added, "There's only one person I need to talk to now. Sue Graham."

Rick gave Jean's shoulders a thankful caress and turned towards Max. "We need to go and see Sue, Max. She has all the answers and I…where's Miriya?"

The three of them did a quick double take, and after a quick survey of the room yielded no sign of the green haired General, Max and Rick turned towards each other, both of them having figured out where she would have disappeared to: the brig.

"Shit!" exclaimed Max as he turned on his heel and ran towards the door.

Rick took off after Max, vaguely aware of Jean telling him that she would call security.

They both ran at their top speeds through the corridors of the ship towards the brig, both men zigging and zagging around startled crew members with Max only slightly ahead of Rick. Rick's heart was hammering in his chest as he ran, and not necessarily because of the sprinting he was now doing. Lisa was alive, and the only person who could tell him where his pregnant wife was now was Sue…she was the only person with all the answers. He knew that now without a doubt. He was as certain that Sue knew where Lisa was just as he was certain that he loved Lisa with all of his heart.

And now an enraged Zentraedi Quadrono was gunning for her. Under normal circumstances Rick trusted Miriya with all of his soul, but these were far from normal circumstances. Miriya was still emotionally drained from Lisa's death, and now to find out that Lisa was not only alive but alive **and** pregnant, there was no telling what she would do.

They rounded a corner and bolted the last twenty feet to the door to the brig. They rushed through to find the sentries on duty unconscious on the floor and the door leading to the detention cells wide open.

Rick and Max didn't even slow down as they ran to the door, and it was only because Max had to jump over one of the guards that Rick got ahead of him and through the door first.

He didn't know which cell Sue was being held in, but it became glaringly obvious when he found two guards on the floor in front of the only opened cell. A small part of his mind was amused that four armed security guards were no match for Miriya, but all amusement fled him and he came to an abrupt halt when the scene before him registered in his mind: Miriya had Sue up against the left wall, and had her lifted several inches off the floor courtesy of the two powerful hands she had around Sue's throat.

"Miriya!" shouted Max and he tried to run towards her only to be stopped by Rick. "Rick! She'll kill her!"

Breathing harder than he would have liked if he'd been bothered to give a damn, Rick only shook his head and slowly walked towards the two women, coming to a stop to Miriya's right. He faced Miriya, but he glanced at Sue, taking notice of her bleeding lip, bulging eyes and her still handcuffed hands that were clamped around Miriya's wrists.

"I will kill her," announced Miriya in a tone of voice that left no doubt in his mind that she very well would.

"You have to let her go, Miriya," Rick said with a serenity that belied the situation. "She's the only one that can help us now." Rick reached over and put his hands on Miriya's arms just above where Sue's hands gripped them. "She's the only one who can help Lisa."

Miriya gritted her teeth and snarled at Sue, but then let her drop down onto the floor. When Miriya released her, Sue's knees buckled and she fell flat on her ass, coughing and wheezing as she tried to breathe for the first time since Miriya had grabbed her by the throat. Her hands rubbed her throat, trying to massage away the pain that had been caused by strong Zentraedi fingers to no avail.

Rick looked to his best friend, and then motioned towards Sue with his head. Max understood and stepped towards Sue, pausing for a moment to kiss Miriya on her cheek, then reached down and grabbed Sue's right arm as Rick reached down to take hold of her left. Together they lifted Sue up and placed her on the bunk that resided in her cell.

When Sue finally got her breathing under control, she looked up and found Rick's eyes. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke. "Angie told you did she?" Sue cackled roughly and said, "I knew she'd buckle."

Rick folded his arms across his chest and glared at the woman he'd once thought of as a friend with all the contempt he could muster. "Where is she, Sue?"

"Safe," replied Sue. She gave him a smile of evil and ominously added, "For now."

Sue automatically recoiled as Miriya took a threatening step towards her, but she relaxed when Max grabbed Miriya and made her stay put.

"Sue…"

"I'm not answering any questions with them here, Rick," she said as she glared at Max and Miriya. "Tell them to get out and we'll talk."

Rick ground his jaw together in anger. She had the nerve to try to call the shots, but she was in the driver's seat and she knew it. He turned to Max and his friend immediately shook his head.

"Max, please," he said as he looked from Max to Miriya and back to Max. "I'll be fine."

Rick stepped towards Miriya and carefully, for there was still murder gleaming in her eyes, put his hand on her arm. Her eyes shot to his for a moment, but then went back to glaring at Sue.

"Miriya," he said softly but with enough authority that she would look at him, "you and Max need to go outside. Now."

It took a moment but Miriya finally nodded curtly, and Rick turned to Max.

"Check on the guards," he told his friend. "Make sure they're okay and then wait outside for me."

Max spared a look to Sue before looking at Rick and asking, "Are you sure about this, Rick?"

"I'm sure," he said with a smile that fooled neither of them. Rick stayed still as the Sterlings moved toward the door. Miriya gave Sue one more vicious look before disappearing, and Max gave Rick a nod before he stepped through and shut the door behind him, effectively sealing Rick alone with Sue Graham.

Rick tore off the surgical hat he'd been wearing, then shrugged out of the gown and turned around. He tossed both garments onto the bed and looked at Sue. "Talk."

Sue's eyes stayed focused on his as she said, "Your wife is alive, Rick. She's alive and she's carrying your baby." The words burned her mouth as she'd said them, and the way his eyes brightened made her heart clench, but she wasn't done yet. "I know where she is, Rick, and there's only one way I will ever tell you where that is."

Rick waited for her to go on, but after nearly a minute he ground out through clenched teeth, "What do you want?!"

Sue Graham stood up and faced Rick Hunter. Her smile was wide and her voice was sweet as she issued her demand. "Make love to me."


	32. Chapter 32

Two updates in less than a month….holy cow. No beta and so on. If you find any boo-boos feel free to PM me with them and I'll fix them. And thank you so much to you sweet, adorable people for still following this.

* * *

Lisa sighed for what must have been the millionth time since she'd awoken to find herself chained to the wall of a cave on the MED moon. It was all bad enough to be stuck here, away from Rick and Roy, as well as her friends, but besides all that she was bored. She was used to having to try to find time to do things with most of her days having been scheduled and planned for days in advance. She was on the verge of promising herself never to complain about being busy again.

She swallowed the last of what had passed for dinner and tossed the empty ration pack next to SCLU and felt her tummy rumble.

_When I get out of here,_ she thought with some amusement, _I'm committing the entire REF Research & Development division to the soul purpose of creating tastier ration packs._

Lisa laughed out loud, and as the echo of it started to die she sighed again. Her right hand automatically fell to what had become its customary position- her belly- and started to rub small circles once again.

Since realizing that she was carrying a new life created by her and the man she loved so dearly, she'd spent a lot of time thinking about it. She'd thought about how Rick would react. She'd thought about what Roy's reaction would be. And of course she'd thought about the possible reactions of Jean and Miriya. She'd always smiled whenever she'd tried to guess their reactions, which would no doubt range from shock to absolute jubilation.

Her smiles were almost exclusively ones of love and affection, but there was one smile that she'd reserved for another of her acquaintances. It wasn't a pretty smile, nor was it a smile borne of happiness, love or respect, and she'd used that smile so little in her lifetime that it had actually hurt her cheeks when she'd done it the first time in the cave. It was a smug smile, a smile that she wanted to flash in the face of Sue Graham as she rubbed Sue's nose in the fact that she was carrying Rick's baby.

Lisa was far from a mean spirited or vindictive person, but she'd give just about anything right now to be able to show Sue Graham that smile…

* * *

Jean Grant collapsed into the chair of her office and tried to keep the tears in her eyes from falling out onto her cheeks. She was drained, physically and mentally, not to mention emotionally. She honestly couldn't remember the last good night sleep she'd gotten, or the last time she'd been able to spend more than half an hour with Vince without work or thoughts of work interrupting them.

_Had to be before Lisa died,_ she thought with a sniff. Everything in her life had been running smoothly before Lisa's murd…

_Wait!_ she thought with enough bitterness to cause her to actually physically bristle. _Not murder. Her kidnapping. _Jean took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to quell the anger roiling around in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't afford the anger now, not with Angie fighting for her life and Rick dealing with Sue Graham.

She had assumed by the lack of an emergency call from the brig that Rick and Max had managed to stop Miriya from doing something painful to Graham.

Jean still couldn't wrap her head around the situation. How the hell could Graham have done it? What did she do and did she have help? But the most burning question for her was the most obvious one: where was Lisa Hunter?

Jean leaned back in her chair and rubbed the tears from her eyes with the tips of her slender fingers.

"Is there a doctor in the house?"

Jean dropped her hands and looked to the door, and though she was aware of her lips automatically forming a smile, she wasn't cognizant of getting up and running into Vince's arms until he picked her up and gently squeezed her.

"I've missed you, too," he whispered as he gently set her feet down upon the deck. His right hand moved up and, with delicateness that one wouldn't expect from one as large as him, wiped the remaining tears from underneath her left eye.

She smiled as she leaned into him and cuddled the side of her face against his chest.

"How's Angie?" he asked as his arms went around her shoulders.

"I don't know if she's going to make it," Jean answered with a sniffle. "She's…I don't know." She shuddered within his embrace and his right hand began moving up and down her back in a soothing caress. "That feels so nice."

"Haven't lost my touch," said Vince playfully.

Jean smiled and leaned back so that she could look into her husband's eyes. "Never." Vince returned her smile and Jean said, "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the Sit. Room trying to find Lisa?"

Vince's arms slackened their hold around her and his face dropped into a confused expression. "What are you talking about, Jean?"

Jean's eyes widened in realization as she exclaimed, "You don't know! No one told you!" Before Vince could even begin to respond Jean closed her eyes and shook her head. Between mental and physical exhaustion as well as concern for Angie she hadn't thought to tell anyone and she knew Rick and Max were trying to keep Miriya from killing Sue. "Of course not!" she exclaimed as she opened her eyes and looked at him. "I feel like an idiot! Vince, she's alive!" At Vince's skeptical look Jean nodded emphatically. "Rick asked me to try to revive Angie so he could talk to her. I did and Angie told Rick that Lisa was alive and pregnant."

Obviously shaken by what his wife was telling him, Vince could only mutter, "How?"

Jean could feel her face glow and eyes darken in anger. "Sue Graham."

Vince's eyes widened as a thousand thoughts rushed through his head. Finally he said, "Where's Rick now?"

Jean reluctantly edged away from Vince, knowing that as soon as she told him he would have to leave. "The brig. Max and Miriya were here, and when Rick told Max what Angie had said Miriya disappeared, presumably to…"

"…to give Sue Graham a lesson in Zentraedi torture methods," finished Vince in a voice that said he wasn't at all opposed to the idea. "Rick and Max…"

"Took off to try to stop her." Jean placed her hands flat on Vince's chest. "She's probably the only one who knows where Lisa is, unless…"

"Unless we can figure it out," said Vince as he looked thoughtful. "What about Angie" Do she know…"

"I don't know," she replied with some exasperation. "She flat lined after she told Rick, Vince, and I just barely got her back."

Vince looked over the top of Jean's head to the clock on her desk and said, "Almost nineteen hundred hours. I've got to get everyone on the ball and let them know what's going on." He leaned down and they indulged in a quick kiss before Vince stepped back and turned to walk away. As he strode purposefully down the hall he called over his shoulder, "Don't worry, Jean. We'll find her."

Jean watched as her husband disappeared out the door and she sighed, asking herself as she did so, _Where are you, Lisa?_

She was just about to go back to her desk when an alarm sounded that sent chills down her back. She was already on the run towards the ICU when the announcement came over the Infirmary speakers.

'_Code blue- ICU. Repeat, code blue- ICU. Dr. Grant please respond.'_

Jean couldn't have known it then, but the young woman she was about to try and save had already answered her question and many more in an email that had just arrived on her computer screen.

* * *

Max knelt down and automatically reached to Sergeant Tanaka's neck to check for a pulse. After a few anxious moments his fingers finally found a strong and steady beat causing im to sigh heavily in relief.

"I did not use lethal methods, Max," said Miriya from five feet away where she was checking on Private Gibbons.

Max turned and regarded his wife for a moment. "I know, Mir," he responded gently. He knew without a doubt that his wife would not intentionally kill any of the security personnel that would have tried to stop her, but she was a Zentraedi. More than that, she was a woman, and even he had to admit that there were times during their marriage when he thought she would lose it. He could definitely imagine a very pissed off Miriya, her blood boiling and vision red with rage, accidentally using more force than she'd meant to in eliminating any threat to achieving her goal of killing Sue Graham. Tanaka moaned, tearing Max from his brief introspection and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Easy, Akiko."

"What hit me?" asked a dazed Tanaka as she reached up to rub the back of her head.

"I did," answered Miriya honestly who had moved to stand behind Max.

Tanaka's hand stopped in mid-rub and she looked up to Miriya. "General Sterling?"

"It's going to be a long story, Akiko," said Max as he got to his feet. He held out his hand to Tanaka, and when the Sergeant took it he carefully helped her to her feet.

Tanaka released his hand and Max became concerned when her first reaction was to rest her right hand on the handle of her sidearm. Tanaka noticed Max's glance to her hand and she immediately removed it.

"Sorry, sir," she said apologetically. She shrugged and gave him a half smile. "Habit."

A soft whimper from Gibbons drew their attention and Miriya quickly moved over the injured man. She got down onto one knee and examined Gibbons' arm. "I think it's broken, Max," she said remorsefully. Her eyes found his and he could see the regret and shame shining in them. "He's in a lot of pain."

Max nodded and moved towards the brig's main communications panel. "I'll call Jean and get her to send someone up." As he worked the comm. unit he glanced to Tanaka who was eyeing Miriya somewhat suspiciously, not that he could blame her. "Akiko?" When the Sergeant looked to him he said, "Prentice and Cather are down by the prisoner's cell, unconscious but otherwise uninjured, apparently." He paused for a moment and then added, "Admiral Hunter is inside the cell with the prisoner."

"What the hell is going on, sir?" demanded Tanaka, the confusion and frustration in her voice matching the narrowed look and deep frown on her face.

Max stood up straight and faced Tanaka. "You're going to have to trust me, Akiko," he said in gentle tone of voice. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, sir," she replied instantly.

"Then please do as I ask and keep an ear out for Rick," he replied. "Commander Graham has tried to kill a fellow REF officer and there's no telling what she's capable of."

Tanaka looked to Miriya who was comforting Gibbons and then looked back to Max. "Yes, sir."

Max nodded and waited for her to disappear down the hallway before shaking his head. He looked down to the comm. panel and completed the call to the Infirmary. _No answer,_ he said to himself. _Strange._ He tried again and this time a nurse answered the call. "Nurse, please put Dr. Grant on the line."

'_I'm sorry, sir,'_ came the hurried reply. The anxious nurse looked away for a moment and then back to Max. _'She's tending to an emergency in the ICU.'_

Max heard Miriya gasp and fought the urge to do the same. "What kind of emergency?"

The nurse hesitated, no doubt weighing whether or not she should tell a Brigadier General what was happening in a department that was generally very keen on keeping a patients' business confidential. In the end she made the right decision.

'_Lieutenant Marques went into cardiac arrest, sir,'_ she said, her voice hollow with apprehension. _'Dr. Grant is trying to keep her with us.'_

Max's hands, which had gone to the console in front of him, curled into angry fists. "Okay." He glanced at Miriya and saw her nearly vibrating in anger. "Listen, we have an injured crewman in the brig. We need a medic up here when you can spare one."

'_I'll send Lamaroux up right away, sir.'_

"Thank you, nurse," said Max, but before he ended the call he added, "When you get an update on Lt. Marques please let me know. And tell Dr. Grant to call me as soon as she's able."

'_Yes, sir.'  
_

Max closed the channel and sighed. He pushed some more buttons and waited for the Sit. Room to come online and a moment later Vince Grant's visage appeared on the screen. "Vince," said Max but the way Vince looked at him told him that Vince already knew.

'_Jean already told me, Max,' _Vince said without preamble. _'I've got people searching Graham's quarters and office for anything that might tell us where Lisa is.'_ Someone handed Vince a small stack of papers and Vince quickly glanced through the first couple before looking back to Max. _'I've talked to Baxter and she's floored, hadn't suspected a thing. Nothing jumps out in Graham's file other than some recent visits to the Infirmary for her lip, whatever that's about.'_ Vince threw the papers down in front of him and added, _'Dr. Pullman saw her, but maybe Jean can fill us in.'_

"Jean is busy, Vince," said Max and when Vince's eyebrows rose in question Max explained with one word. "Angie."

Vince nodded knowingly and sighed, looking every bit the man with the world on his shoulders. _'How did this happen, Max? How did she do it?'_

"I don't know," Max answered wearily. "But we'll worry about that later."

'_I agree,'_ said the Sit. Room's 2IC. _'The top priority now is finding Lisa.'_

"Then let's do it," replied Max, his voice as calm as though they were talking about the weather. It was his place to command and until Rick could take his rightful place in the lead he would do his absolute best. To that end, Brigadier General Max Sterling straightened up and said with pure confidence, "Captain Grant, you have my authority to do anything and everything necessary to find Admiral Hunter. Use whoever and whatever you need."

'_Roger that, General,'_ replied Vince without a moment of hesitation.

"Vince?" said Max before Grant could end the call. "Check her flight records," said Max slowly as though he were still thinking through a hunch, which was exactly what he was doing. "She's gotten her wings recently. Maybe…"

He trailed off, then the two men shared a nod and Vince ended the call. Max stared at the blank screen for a moment, then he walked over to where Miriya was crouched next to Gibbons and put his hand on her shoulder. Her right hand moved up and covered his and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "It's okay, Mir," he said lovingly.

"I wanted to kill her, Max," she said, her voice neutral and calm. "I still do."

"I know," he replied as he straightened up, "and before this is all said and done I doubt you'll be alone." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and said, "I'm going to go and check on Rick. Are you okay…"

"Go," she said a resolute nod. "I'm fine." She turned her head enough so that she could see Max and said, "Don't let her hurt Rick."

"That I can promise," Max said as he removed his hand from her shoulder. "When they come to take care of Gibbons join me okay?"

Miriya nodded again and Max walked towards the door that led to the cells. As he approached Sue's cell he was relieved beyond words to see that Harry Prentice and Fred Cather were not only awake but upright and apparently alert. Max walked up to the trio, eyed each of them and sighed.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to come as a shock," he said to them. "I know because it shocked the hell out of me." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before explaining. "Admiral Lisa Hunter is alive." He paused to let that much sink in, and he was glad he did when he saw the stunned expressions on their. "Yes she's alive. We don't know where she is, but we do know who is responsible."

"Graham," spat out Tanaka with enough venom in her voice to down a squad of Kabarrans.

Max gave Tanaka a nod, impressed that the Sergeant had followed the situation closely enough to be able to jump to the right conclusion. "Yes. We don't know how or where she's put the Admiral, but she is responsible." He glanced to the door and said, "Admiral Hunter is inside trying to get Graham to tell him where Lisa is, but I doubt very much if she's going to tell him anything."

Max turned and looked up the corridor when he heard footsteps approaching them. When he saw Miriya walking their way he turned to the young Corporal Prentice. "Harry. I need you to man the comm. I'm expecting calls from the Infirmary and the Sit. Room, and I want to be informed the moment they come through."

"Yes, sir," replied the Corporal as he stepped past him to go carry out his orders.

Max turned his attention to the wily veteran Sergeant Cather as Miriya came to a stop next to him. "Fred, I need you and Akiko to remain here in case Rick needs help."

Cather nodded and then assumed a position to the left side of the door with Tanaka taking up station to the right side. Both security officers faced forward and rested their hands on their weapons.

Max sighed as Miriya reached over to hold his hand. He gave her a weary smile and said, "Now we wait."

* * *

Rick was so far beyond shocked at Sue's audacity as well as the request that all he could was abruptly blurt out, "What?"

"Make love to me, Rick," Sue repeated sweetly. She took in a breath and spoke as she released it, and if her voice had been sweet before it was pure poison now. "And I'll save your precious Lisa."

Rick's heart was a ship during an out of control fold, going millions of miles per second in no particular direction with nothing he could do to stop it. He gaped at Sue, the young woman he'd once admired and had great pride in. Now she was the woman who had kidnapped his wife, killed at least four people, five if she was responsible for Tim's death, and attempted to murder one of her closest friends, and he had to work very hard to keep from throwing up. Everything she had become repulsed him; everything she had become stood at the polar opposite of the moral compass all people were judged by.

"Sue," he tried, his voice soft and gentle. "It's over." He ignored the closing of her eyes and the shaking of her head and pressed on. "Sue, you need to listen to me." He waited for her to look at him again before saying, "It's not too late for you to do the right thing."

"The right thing?" she questioned weakly and with a mirthless chuckle. "Don't you understand, Rick. It's you. It's always been you and about you. You are the right thing for me, and nothing will change that." She blinked and big glistening tears rolled out onto her cheeks. "There's no one and nothing else."

Not for the first time since the Sit. Room Incident, Rick cursed himself and his naiveté where Sue Graham was concerned. Sue took in a deep breath and smiled at Rick, and for an instant he saw the young woman he used to know and respect.

"I love you, Rick," Sue whispered. "I know you don't think it's true, but I do." She took one step towards him and sniffed back the tears. "You are all I think about. My last thought before I go to sleep is about you, and you're the first thing I think about when I wake up." Sue took another step towards Rick so that she was now within a foot or so of him. "I've admired you forever, Rick, and that admiration has grown over time so that you've become the love of my life."

Rick shook his head and his voice was sad as he said, "Sue…"

Sue reached over and put her hands on Rick's cheeks and Rick had to force himself not to pull away from her.

"All I want," she said as the thumb of her right hand caressed his cheek, "is you. All I need is you."

Before he knew it Sue drew him to her and pressed her lips to his in a searing kiss. His hands moved up onto her arms, gripping them tightly just above her elbows as her mouth moved against his. He gently pulled her hands away from his face as he leaned back to put some distance between them. He ignored the coppery taste of her blood on his mouth and moved his hands down her arms, past the cuffs adorning her wrists until he held her hands. He gave them a gentle squeeze before sighing and saying, "I'm sorry, Sue." He swallowed hard and softly said, "I'm so sorry."

More tears left Sue's eyes trailing watery rivers down over her cheeks. "Rick…"

"No, Sue," Rick interrupted as he released her hands. He took a few steps back, keeping a wary eye on Sue as he did so, then carefully and deliberately wiped his mouth with the back of his right hand to remove as much of her blood as he could. "I've handled this badly from the start and everything that has happened…" he paused and tried to hold back to sorrow and anger, then lowered his eyes to the floor and added, "…is my fault." He looked back up to her and said, "But you can end this, Sue. Don't make anyone else pay for my mistakes."

"It's too late, Rick," Sue replied sharply. She raised her hands towards her face and gently dabbed at her bloody lip with the edge of her right sleeve. Her tears seemed to magically dry up and her voice became frigid. "I've already killed six…oh wait, Angie didn't die, did she? Sorry. I've already killed five people, tried to kill one of my closest friends and kidnapped the Fleet Admiral…"

She'd spoke so flippantly of her reprehensible actions that Rick was disgusted to the point where he couldn't trust himself to do anything except shake his head and gape at her.

"…with the purpose of making her husband mine." She calmly clasped her hands together in front of her and said, "There is only one way for **you** to end this, Rick, and I've told you what that is."

Finally he snapped his mouth shut. "I will never- **never**- betray Lisa," Rick finally said through clenched teeth.

Sue regarded him for a second, then shrugged her shoulders and said as though she were reciting the EoD, "Then Lisa dies." She waited a heart beat and added, "And so will her baby."

"Our baby," Rick automatically corrected, and even under such tense circumstances he couldn't keep the love he felt for Lisa and his unborn child out of his voice. He could easily see Sue's nostril's flare in anger, but before she could do or say anything Rick said, "Lisa is carrying my baby, Sue. A part of me." He took a step closer to her and nearly recoiled at the evil that seemed to be emanating from her. "You say you love me, Sue. Would you really kill a part of me?"

Sue's answer was swift and sure. "Yes. I would do anything to be able to have you."

Pure anger developed in Rick's chest and expanded until he was almost shaking. "Never going to happen."

Sue smiled coyly and her voice was nearly musical when she said, "Yes it will, because I know you, Rick, and I know you will do **anything** to save them."

* * *

Max was usually a patient man who had seen enough in his life as a pilot, husband and father to send a lot patient men to the looney bin, but now his patience had abandoned him and he was getting antsy, as was Miriya. Tanaka and Cather remained still and ready, and Max made a mental note to give them an official commendation for outstanding professionalism when this was finished.

He glanced at Miriya who implored him with a look to do something. He nodded then turned to Tanaka. "How's the head, Akiko?'

Tanaka kept facing forward though her dark eyes flicked to him for an instant. "Fine, sir."

Max nodded then said as he reached for the door, "Then come with me."

Max opened the door and stepped inside, followed closely by Tanaka.

* * *

Rick thought over the options. He had no doubt that now that they knew that Sue had kidnapped Lisa, they would be able to find her. All they needed was time to go over Sue's movements over the last while, to retrace her steps. All they needed was time.

"She's out of time, Rick." Sue smiled at the surprised look on his face and said, "Like I said, I know you, Rick." She took another step towards him, and when she spoke her voice held a reverence that surprised Rick further. "I've seen you through so much, Rick. I can tell what you're thinking even before you start thinking it. I know you're thinking that all you need is time to figure out where she is." She took his silence as confirmation and then played her trump card, hoping to bluff him into bed. "And you're right. The only problem with that is she's been out of food and water for days, Rick."

It was then that the door opened, and while Sue looked towards it and nearly retched when she saw Max, Rick kept his eyes focused on her with an intensity that could have melted gold.

"Rick?"

Rick slowly turned to Max, though he gave his friend only a cursory glance before his eyes noticed Tanaka. As he turned back towards Sue he said, "Sergeant Tanaka?"

"Yes, sir?"

Sue's head tilted questioningly, but Rick ignored her and said, "Come here please."

A moment later Tanaka fell in beside him, standing so that she was facing Rick but turned enough to be able to keep an eye on Sue should she be tempted to try something.

Rick held out his right hand and then calmly said, "Your sidearm, Sergeant."

Sue's eyes narrowed and it gave Rick a sense of satisfaction to see her worry. The problem was thirty seconds had passed and his hand was still empty.

He turned to look at Tanaka so she could not mistake the seriousness of his order. "Give me your weapon, Sergeant. Right. Now."

Tanaka glanced to Sterling who remained grim and silent, then reluctantly pulled her sidearm from its holster. She held it in her hand for a few seconds a few inches above Rick's waiting hand before finally relenting and giving it to him.

Rick serenely, methodically and deliberately checked the weapon in his hand, looking at it as though it might hold the answer to all of his questions. It didn't of course, but it may very well help him to get some.

In a flash of metal and movement he was in front of Sue with his arm outstretched and the tip of the gun's barrel pressed against Sue's forehead. He felt movement behind him, but knew it was Max and that his friend would let him play this out...up to a point at least.

All he had eyes for was Sue Graham and the surprise in her eyes.

* * *

"I'll keep an eye on her, Jean," said Dr. Emma Keller, one of Jean's staff.

Jean looked to her friend and smiled wearily, agreeing if for no other reason than the worry and fear in the younger woman's blue eyes. "Thanks, Em," she said with a slight smile. "I'll be in my office."

Jean shuffled towards her office, the fatigue she was feeling deep in her bones giving her just barley enough energy to do so. She was just about to walk in the door when one of her nurse's called her name from the main desk. Biting back the sigh that wanted to escape her lips, Jean walked over to the desk and gave the nurse a tired smile. "What is it, Olga?"

The nurse's face was grim as she said, "You're to call General Sterling- Max, not Miriya- and your husband as soon as possible."

Jean couldn't stop the sigh this time, and because she was simply too tired to walk back to her office she moved around the desk and all but collapsed into the chair next to her nurse.

Jean started pushing buttons on the comm. and waited for the brig to answer.

'_Brig…Corporal Prentice speaking.'_

Jean studied the young man on the screen for a moment and winced at the shiner currently residing underneath his left eye.

"Harry, it's Dr. Grant. Can you get General Sterling for me please?"

The young man's Adam 's Apple quickly bobbed up and down before he said, _'Yes, ma'am.'_

As the Corporal moved off screen, Jean allowed herself the luxury of closing her eyes while she waited for Max to come on.

'_Jean.'_

Jean's eyes snapped open and she found herself looking into the green eyes of Miriya Sterling. She was about to comment that she had the wrong General, but Miriya explained before she could.

'_Max is in with Rick and Sue,'_ she said with a mixture of anger and worry. _'How is Lt. Marques?'_

Jean sighed once again and said, "Stable, for now. She's been through so much, Miriya, but I think…"

She stopped and shook her head, but Miriya wouldn't let it go.

'_You think what?'_

Jean gave Miriya a self-deprecating smile and said, "It's almost like she doesn't want to live."

Miriya nodded and looked off camera for a moment. _'I am concerned for Rick and Max. They have been in there for a while.'_

Jean leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk and then rested her head in her hands. "Do you think Rick will be able to get Sue to tell him anything?"

Miriya said nothing, but the way her lips drew downward into a frown mirrored what Jean was thinking to herself: not a chance in hell.

"Alright," said Jean as she straightened up. "Tell Max I called and to let me know what happens. I need to call Vince and see what he wants."

Miriya nodded before breaking the connection and Jean immediately set about calling her husband. A moment later his grim face appeared on the screen. _'Hey you.'_

"Hey, yourself," she replied with a smile. "Any news?"

Vince shook his head and said, _'How's Angie?'_

Jean shrugged her shoulders and felt her eyes welling up again. "Stable for now, but it doesn't look good."

Vince closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he looked to her again he said, _'How about you?'_

Jean's heart swelled with love at the concern in his eyes and in his voice. "I'm doing okay. I just need some rest, like everyone else around here."

She watched as Vince turned and talked to someone off camera, and when he looked back to her he gave her an apologetic shoulder shrug. _'Gotta go. Let me know if anything happens with Angie.'_

Jean nodded and said, "I will. Love you."

Vince smiled and responded with, _'Love you, too.'_

Jeans finger was on the button to end the call, but Vince calling her name stopped her.

'_Jean! I almost forgot.'_ He stopped and looked down to find something, then brought up a file and said, _'Graham has been into the Infirmary a few times recently about her lip.'_ He dropped the file and said, _'Pullman tended to her, but do you know what it was about?'_

Jean shook her head but said, "I'll look into it."

'_Okay,'_ replied her husband before ending the call.

Jean took in a deep breath and was about to get up, but the image of Sue Graham's lip from when she'd seen it on her and Rick's visit to Fleet Intelligence popped into her head and made her sit back down.

Her eyes closed once again, but instead of the fatigue induced respite of a few moments ago, this time her mind was a whirlwind of images, thoughts and snippets of conversations.

_"Jean, I want you to take a good look at Sue Graham's lip…on the sly, that is. Don't let her catch on that you're really looking at it," _Rick had said.

Jean breathed deeply as she then remembered something Alistair had said concerning one of his patients. _"This officer is the one I told you about some time ago. She obtained a virulent infection that seemed to resist every treatment, though the latest prescription I gave her seems to be working rather well._ _The infection was caused by a bacteria that was matched in our database,"_ he'd explained.

Rick's voice jumped back in. _"When Max and I visited the hangar deck the other day, Graham had a split lip, and we don't buy her story. Just take a good look and tell me what you think."_

The echo of Rick's voice had only faded in her mind when Pullman's voice sounded off.

_"But her story about how she came in contact with the bacteria is suspicious. I believe she is deliberately misleading me in regards to how she could have received this infection."_

Jean's eyes opened but her vision remained unfocused as she continued to remember. She recalled how Rick had told her of how Sue had explained that she'd slipped on the Alpha's ladder and hit her face on the plane itself. Then her own words rang like bells in her head. _"If I had to guess, Rick, I'd say that someone gave her a pretty solid smack to her kisser. What hit her would have been the size of a fist…maybe a little bigger, but not much bigger."_

Jean's eyes focused sharply on the computer screen in front of her, and even as her hands reached over to punch in the commands to bring up the medical file of one Susan B. Graham her mind raced.

_Sue lied to Rick about how she got that lip,_ she thought excitedly. _And Alistair saw her, and he said one of his patients had lied about how she- __**she**__- got an infection. Sue's lip showed sign of infection. Was he talking about Sue? Could it be?_

Sue's file came up on the screen and Jean scrolled down to the last entries made by her friend concerning the identification of the bacteria that had caused the infection in Sue Graham's lip.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed loudly.

Her body was shaking from head to toe in excitement, and it took her three times to successfully activate the comm.

_Come on!_ she silently implored. _COME ON!_

Finally Prentice's face appeared on the screen and Jean wasted no time. "Harry! Tell the Sterlings she's on the MED moon! Lisa is on the MED moon, Harry! Tell them now!"

To his credit the young Corporal did as he was told without hesitation and she could hear him run away from the comm. through the still open channel. Jean waited for one of her friends to appear on the screen, her heart racing as the seconds turned into minutes. Finally she heard someone approach the comm., but instead of seeing Max, Miriya or Prentice she saw something that made her heart spasm and the blood it had been pumping through her body turn cold: a mane of black hair, a pair of piercing hazel eyes and a mouth dripping blood from a cut on its bottom lip.

She could hear the telltale tapping of computers keys and she was just about to cut the feed and call Vince when the lights went out.


	33. Chapter 33

Well, not much to say really. Hope you like it, and no beta so feel free to PM me with any boo boos and I will fix them. Going to be busy the next few days so I may have rushed this a little. Hope it's not too outrageous. Onward and upward…

* * *

The metal tip of the gun barrel pressed tightly against her forehead was cold to the touch, but what really chilled Sue to the bottom of her soul was the hard ice in Rick's eyes. She'd seen Rick in all sorts of moods during her time as his official videographer, from happiness to worry to downright fury, but never before had she seen such an absence of warmth and feeling in his eyes. Not even during Lisa's memorial service.

Her hands clenched into tight fists as she tried to find something of the Rick Hunter she loved in those eyes. She peered as deeply as she could into those blue orbs but could find nothing but contempt, loathing and emptiness.

"You're not going to shoot me, Rick," she said softly, though her voice betrayed her uncertainty with an obvious waver of tenor. She cleared her throat with a small cough and made her eyes water. "I know you won't."

"Rick?" whispered Max worriedly from behind Rick.

Sue ignored Sterling's cautionary plea to Rick and remained focused on his eyes. _They're blank. Damn it, Rick…I know you feel something! You have to be in there somewhere. I know it!_

Sue blinked to release the built up and nearly overflowing tears from her eyes. "What are you going to do, Rick? Kill me?"

Rick's eyes narrowed for a second, then he gave her a slow nod and when he spoke his voice was like an Arctic breeze across her face. "If you don't tell me where she is right now, then yes, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

As if to emphasize just how frank he was about that, his fingers flexed around the grip of the gun and he pushed it a little harder against her forehead.

"Rick," she pleaded in a strangled whisper.

"Let's work it out, Commander," said Rick with narrowed eyes and a voice of steel. "You can tell me where she is right now and live to face justice for your many crimes." His head tilted an inch to the right and his voice held a macabre tone he added, "Or you don't tell me and I pull this trigger."

"She doesn't have time for you to find her, Rick," she pointed out more sharply than she'd meant to. Sue reined in her frustration, anger and fear and said more calmly, "She's out of time."

A striking smile came to Rick's lips and when he spoke his voice was sure and filled with pride. "**My** Lisa is a strong, resourceful and incredible woman who has survived situations that she had no business living through. **My** Lisa has faced down full-sized Zentraedi, the Invid and many other dangers that would make most people shake in their boots. **My** Lisa will hold on and wait for me to save her," he leaned in a little closer to her and proudly added, "because I love her, Commander, and if there's one thing I've learned during my life, it's that loving that woman and keeping her safe from whatever dares to try to harm her is **what** **I was born to do**."

He was calling her bluff and whether he knew it or not, he was holding all the cards. Her carefully laid plan was coming apart at the seams. All her hard work had been blown out of the airlock, all her sacrifices had been in vain, and at that sickening realization her breathing quickened and her stomach heaved in fear and disgust.

"Why?" she asked as her shoulders slumped in defeat. She stared deeply into his eyes again and still couldn't find any of the man she so desperately craved. "Why couldn't you love me?"

Rick shook his head and for the first time since their conversation had begun there was something like pity in his voice. "Because I love her, Sue. I have for as long as I can remember and I will as long as I can still draw a breath." He shrugged his shoulders and added, "I'll even love her after that."

_Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!_ chanted Sue to herself. _Why didn't I just kill her? Why? Why is she so special? Why? Why? Why? Lisa! Lisa! She's going to pay for this! If it's the last thing I do she'll pay for keeping Rick from me!_

She saw the door open and Miriya Sterling step inside, and Sue knew by the excited and smug look on the Zentraedi's face that they'd figured it out.

* * *

Harry Prentice rocked back and forth as much as the uncomfortable chair would allow, which wasn't much, to try to contain the tremendous amount of nervous energy flowing through his veins. It was a one piece metal contraption that was bolted to the floor so it couldn't be used as a weapon, which was silly considering there was a cabinet full of weapons on the wall behind him. Yes, it was locked by a digital combination lock, but still.

The left side of his face was seriously smarting, even though he couldn't for the life of him remember what had happened. One minute he was being the butt of some good natured ribbing from Cather and the next moment he was waking up with the concerned face of Sgt. Tanaka above him.

Then General Sterling had appeared and announced out of the blue that Admiral Hunter was alive and that the prisoner he'd been guarding had kidnapped her.

He shook his head and tried to keep focused on the task at hand.

As if inspired by that thought, the panel beeped indicating and incoming transmission. He pressed the appropriate button and a moment later Dr. Grant's face appeared on the screen. Before he could even begin to audibly answer the call she was yelling at him.

'_Harry! Tell the Sterlings she's on the MED moon! Lisa is on the MED moon, Harry! Tell them now!'_

Harry felt a warm burst of adrenaline and he jumped up out of the chair without closing the channel, vaulted over the desk and bolted through the door. It took him only a moment to get to where Cather and Miriya Sterling were waiting outside of Graham's cell, but it felt like an hour.

"General Sterling!" he exclaimed as he ran up to her. "Dr. Grant just called and told me to tell you that Admiral Hunter is on the MED moon."

Miriya's face went blank and her voice was dubious at best. "Are you sure that's what she said, Corporal?"

He nodded emphatically. "She said to tell the Sterlings that Lisa is on the MED moon, ma'am."

Sterling immediately reached for the door and entered the cell. He shared a look with Cather who shrugged his shoulders and then followed her inside. Not wanting to be left out of the party, he followed Cather.

* * *

Miriya came to a halt a few feet inside the door and took in the situation. Graham was standing near her bed facing the door, with Rick standing in front of her pointing a gun at her head. A quick glance to the left showed her Max, looking at Rick with deep concern. To Rick's right and a few feet from him stood an anxious looking and unarmed Tanaka. As she took another step into the room she heard Cather and Prentice come in behind her, one taking up station on either side of her.

"Rick," she announced in a clear voice that seemed to resonate throughout the room. "We know where she is."

Graham's nostrils flared in anger and her eyes glared daggers at Miriya, but she ignored it and said, "She's on the MED moon, Rick. Jean figured it out."

Max turned to look at her and his eyes widened, asking her with that simple look if it was true and not some attempt to bluff Graham or keep Rick from killing her. In response she smiled and nodded her head, and by doing so she missed the murderous flash in the hazel eyes of Sue Graham.

* * *

Sue's heart was hammering in her chest so hard it felt like it was trying to escape the agony encompassing her by Rick's rejection and hatred. Rick was pointing a gun at her head and she believed he was on the verge of shooting her. Her Rick would never do that. Her Rick would never even consider doing it. Her Rick would have realized just how much she had done to be with him.

But this Rick? This Rick Hunter wasn't the man she'd fallen so head over heels in love with.

Because of Lisa.

_Lisa! Lisa! Lisa! _she chanted internally.

And now they knew where she was. Whatever leverage she'd had was gone. All her plans had been laid waste. All her hopes had turned to ash in her stomach. There was nothing left for her except...

…revenge.

_Make Lisa pay!_ her inner voice growled in feral rage. _Make her pay! Make her pay!_

She waited and watched Rick, waiting for the opportunity that she knew would come. Her eyes darted about the room, calculating distances and odds and formulating a plan that would let her escape.

_Push him that way…kick…bang, bang…take the vet out first then the youngster. Gotta move fast._

Then it happened. The tension seemed to simply vanish from Rick's shoulders and the arm holding his weapon began to slowly lower. It was pointed at her chest when she made her move, reaching over to grab the gun with both hands out of Rick's loosened grip while simultaneously thrusting her left leg outward and upward to catch the waiting Tanaka flush in the face and sending her back into the metal bulkhead with a sickening crunch.

With the gun now in her right hand, she drove her left hand into Rick's chest, pushing the shocked Admiral backwards into Max Sterling who had moved to aid his friend. Both men crashed hard to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs and muffled profanities.

She was just raising her weapon towards Cather's position when she heard a pop from where he was standing and felt a blistering pain in her left arm just above her elbow. She pulled the trigger and despite the pain his shot had caused her aim was true. Her shot caught him square in the chest, sending him collapsing to the floor in an unmoving heap. There was another bang and she felt and heard the bullet whiz by her right ear. She ducked as another shot flew by where her head would have been if she hadn't moved, then she took aim at Prentice and fired. Her shot hit him in the right side of his chest, sending him into a spiraling spin that sent him out the door and onto the floor out in the hall.

She jumped up and ran past Rick and Max, who were still thrashing about on the floor trying to untangle themselves from each other, and made it to the front of the room just in time to push the muzzle of her weapon against the top of Miriya Sterling's head as she'd crouched down to retrieve Cather's abandoned weapon.

"Drop it," growled Sue breathlessly. She didn't wait two seconds before she pushed the gun harder against the green haired head and shouted, "Now!"

A moment later the gun clattered against the deck. Sue moved her gun away from Miriya's head but kept it pointed in that direction, then stepped away from her towards the door. She glanced over to Rick and Max to find them both up and staring at her, not daring to make a move knowing all too well that she had nothing left to lose.

"Get up and move over towards them," Sue ordered and Miriya obeyed, slowly rising up from her position and then walking towards the men until she was next to them. Sue kept her weapon trained on the Zentraedi the whole way. Still pointing her gun in Miriya's direction, she stepped over to where Cather's weapon rested on the deck and placed her foot on it, then kicked backwards sliding the gun along the floor and out the door into the hall.

She looked up in time to see Rick take a step towards her and she jumped closer to the door while moving the gun to point in his direction. She pointed the gun at Rick's chest and desperately tried to keep her arms from shaking, but her left arm hurt so badly she simply couldn't keep the gun from wavering a bit.

"Put the gun down, Commander," said Rick, his voice calm and steady. "You have nowhere to go and I know you won't hurt me."

Sue gave Rick a kind smile as she lowered her weapon a few inches. "No," she whispered with blatant adoration, "I love you. I could never, ever hurt you." Rick started to reach for the gun but Sue tightened her grip on the weapon, and before he could react she whipped it up and to her right to find a new target: Miriya's head. "But I have no problem with shooting that bitch."

Rick froze and after a moment slowly retracted his hand. Sue backed away, keeping her weapon pointed in Miriya's direction while keeping her eyes focused on Rick's, knowing without a doubt that he wouldn't risk doing anything that could harm the Zentraedi.

She finally made it out into the hall and stopped. She took one last look at the man she loved, the man she had sacrificed so much for, the man she had done so much for and smiled. "Good-bye, Rick." She reached over and grabbed the door, and as she shut it she whispered, "I'll always love you."

She slammed the door closed and backed up until her back hit the far wall. She listened to them as they pounded on the door in a vain effort to get out and she could hear Rick shouting at her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she looked down to Prentice laying at her feet in a pool of his own blood. She bent down and retrieved the keys of the cuffs from his belt, and when she'd freed herself from them she dropped the restraints and keys onto his back. She spared Prentice one more look, silently commending him on getting two shots off, both of which really should have hit her. What was even more remarkable was that he'd had to worry about an Admiral and a General being in his line of fire. The kid could have been good.

She shook her head to clear it, then took Tanaka's gun in her left hand and hissed in pain as her right hand gently covered the wound on her arm. She didn't have time to dwell on it though. She jogged out the hall and into the main area, moving her gun around the room in case any of the other security personnel had returned, but she found the room empty. She quickly marched over to the main computer and accessed the secure Fleet Intelligence server with one of the dummy codes she'd installed and found the virus she'd had developed.

With no hesitation whatsoever, she typed in the commands that activated the virus, plunging not only the Brig but the whole ship into darkness.

Sue looked into the deep blackness surrounding her and quietly counted down. "Three…two…one…now."

On cue the emergency lights flickered on, chasing away some of the darkness and creating shadows that gave the room an eerie feeling. Sue picked the gun up off the console and checked the ammo level, then started towards the door. She paused at the door and gave one last forlorn look to where Rick was, then she ran into the darkened corridor and turned right. She recalled the route she'd memorized in her mind, the quickest and most direct route to the area of the ship that would be holding her means of getting even with Lisa Hayes: the hangar deck.

* * *

The door slammed shut and Rick launched himself at it, striking it with his hands and screaming, "SUE! SUE OPEN THIS DOOR! SUE! IF I GET A HOLD OF YOU I'LL KILL YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME SUE? SUE! SUE!"

Rick continued to beat on the door with his hands, throwing in a kick every few seconds for good measure but to no avail.

"Rick!" shouted Max. "Stop! Rick, stop it! You're only going to hurt yourself! Rick!"

Finally Rick stopped his assault on the unmovable door and took a step back from it, his chest heaving and fists clenching and unclenching. A few more seconds passed before his rational mind could reassert itself, and with it the gravity of the situation became all too clear.

He reached over and put his right hand flat against the door, and as he hung his head he whispered, "She's going to kill Lisa, Max. She's going to kill her and I…I can't do a thing about it."

It was then that something in the left side of his peripheral vision caught his attention. He straightened up and looked down with sad eyes and a breaking heart to the lifeless body of Sergeant Fred Cather. _A good man_, thought Rick with a heavy heart. _Another good person dead because of me and what I didn't do._

A pain filled wail made his head snap to the back of the cell where Max and Miriya were crouched next to Tanaka.

"Easy, Akiko," Max was saying as Rick approached them. Max looked up to him with worry filled eyes and said, "She needs to get to the Infirmary."

Rick nodded and tried to think, but when the lights went out a moment later all he could do was say, "What now?"

The emergency lights flickered into service and Rick, Max and Miriya shared a concerned look.

"It has to be her," Rick said softly and unnecessarily, for Max and Miriya were thinking the same thing.

There was a soft thump in the darkness that caused Rick to look towards the door. A moment later there was a click and Rick vaulted towards the door, expecting Sue to appear and try to convince him once again to submit to her lunacy.

The door opened just as he got there, but instead of Sue Graham holding a gun at him he found Harry Prentice leaning against the right side of the frame, blood soaking the entire upper half of his uniform.

Rick managed to banish his surprise enough to be able to catch Prentice as he collapsed into the room. He held onto the young man, noticing his shallow breathing and instantly feeling the Corporal's blood soak into his own uniform. Max appeared beside them and nodded to Rick, then the two men lowered Prentice to the deck with care and reverence.

When they had Prentice laid on his back, Rick leaned over to talk to him, but before he could say a word Prentice's bloody right hand shot out and grabbed Rick's hand in a strong grip.

"Corporal?" asked Rick who somehow managed to keep his voice from cracking.

Blood trickled out of the corner of Prentice's mouth and when he spoke his voice was heavy and thick. "Go…sir…" he said between heavily labored breaths. "Go…get …her."

Rick gave to young man what he needed, a resolute nod and a smile. "You bet, Corporal." Rick's free hand patted Harry's shoulder. "Rest easy, Harry. Help will be here soon."

Prentice nodded and after a quick glance to Max, Rick rose from the floor and ran out the door and down the dimly lit hallway. He found the main area empty, of course, as he knew Sue would be long gone. He was just about to run into the corridor when a voice stopped him.

"Rick!"

He turned and watched Miriya emerge from the hallway leading to the cells.

"I will call for help," she said as she came to a stop before him. She glanced at the comm. and added, "If I can." She held out her hand and said, "You will need this."

Rick looked to her hand and nodded grimly. As he took the weapon from her hand Miriya said, "Go save her."

Rick nodded and bolted out the door and came to an abrupt halt. _Think, Hunter, think. If I were Sue what I do? Only one way off the ship…hangar bay!_ He turned left and then right, recalling the schematics of the ship that had been his home for so long, then turned and started running down the corridor to the right as fast as his legs could carry him.

* * *

Sue punched in the override code to emergency bulkhead thirty-one baker and waited for it to open. The process was agonizingly slow, just as the other three had been. In the next corridor she would retrieve a stashed bag from a floor level air vent that she'd put there days ago. She'd tried to imagine where she'd be when the time had come, and while she'd desperately hoped she would have been in her quarters after making love to Rick, she'd been well aware that there would be the possibility that she would be in the brig. So she'd stashed one bag here, and another in corridor fifteen tango near her quarters and another in corridor twenty-six kilo near Fleet Intelligence, just in case.

She slipped through the half open hatchway and ran to the vent, kicking it in and then reaching down to pull the damaged grate from the opening. She crouched down and reached in with her right arm, then winced and stifled a cry when her left arm automatically tried to reach up to brace herself against the wall. She lowered her wounded arm and gently placed her head against the wall to act as a brace as her hand continued to search for the bag.

"Come on," she whispered. Finally her hand found the leather bag and she pulled it from the wall. The first thing she pulled out was a fully loaded weapon and placed it on the floor next to her, then she tossed Tanaka's weapon into the vent opening. The next thing she removed was little goodie used by undercover Fleet Intelligence officers, a device lovingly called by those who used it an 'open sesame box'. It was a box only about one inch by one inch and the width of a quarter inch, and all that needed to be done to open secured doors- like emergency bulkheads- was place the box on the door's control panel and press it. The gizmo would then interface with the access panel and open the door, linking with whatever security system was involved or bypassing it altogether if necessary. It was a lot faster than punching in code after code for each door.

She stopped and tilted her head towards the opened bulkhead, listening for any sign of pursuit, and when she heard none she looked back into the bag and took out a flashlight.

Sue's arms fell to her sides and she sighed. She was tired and devastated by Rick's attitude and actions towards her. _Why am I even running?_ she asked herself, but the answer was swift and deadly. _To kill Lisa._

Sue took a deep breath, and then picked up the OSB, flashlight and fully loaded gun. She gingerly got to her feet and started to move towards the next bulkhead, her flashlight illuminating the way and mind focused on her objective.

* * *

Rick jumped through the opened bulkhead and brought up solid at the sight before him. Two bodies lay on the floor, one in the middle of the hallway four feet in front of him and the other several feet beyond it and huddled against the left wall. He slowly approached them, glancing down the hall to make sure Sue wasn't lingering around, and paused by the first body. Rick didn't recognize him, but he wore an Engineering uniform and had a bullet hole in his head. Rick moved on and stopped by the next body that he recognized as one of Amanda Fraser's flower buds, Tori Hogan. Rick felt tears sting his eyes at the sight of her wide open and lifeless eyes staring up at him, but he forced them away as he moved forward, swearing to himself once more that Sue Graham would pay for this.

* * *

_Finally!_ thought Sue as she rounded the corner and ran into the hallway that led to the secondary hangar deck. She knew the deck and the valuable cargo inside would be guarded, but she had the element of surprise and the determination to fulfill her task.

She ran up to the security door, checked her weapon and then placed the OSB on the access panel. She pushed on it and waited, then stepped back and raised her weapon as the door began to open. She stepped inside and, without a second thought, shot the sentry on duty in the chest before turning her weapon towards the others on the deck.

"Everyone out!" she shouted as she moved off to the left and motioned towards the opened door. "MOVE!"

The engineers moved quickly, casting nervous glances and curious looks in her direction. The security officers moved more slowly, no doubt looking for an opportunity to take her out, but she kept her guard up and her weapon pointed in their direction as they moved by. When the last person left, she closed the door knowing full well that it wouldn't lock, then slowly backed away towards the instrument of her salvation: the prototype Shadow fighter.

She'd been keeping up with its progress and knew that it was fully operational, with several flights in the book s with no discernible issues with performance. It was the perfect getaway vehicle. Fully armed and ready to go, its Shadow tech would render it all but invisible to the radars of Tirol and any patrols that would be out there.

She stopped when she reached the ladder, then tossed the OSB and flashlight to the floor. She reached up with her left arm to grab the ladder but had to drop it again as well as stifle a yelp of pain. She moved the gun to her left hand and took a hold of the ladder with her right hand and slowly proceeded up towards the cockpit. It took her longer than she'd liked to get in, but once inside she tossed the gun over the side and put on the helmet that had been resting on the edge of cockpit. She began the preflight sequence, including powering up the engines and closing the canopy, then waited for the green light to leave. The hangar doors were closed of course, but that was nothing that a missile couldn't solve. She taxied the Shadow fighter into position and armed the weapons system, acquired her target and fired.

The hangar door disappeared in a spectacular explosion and the emergency magnetic field kept the bay pressurized. She threw the throttle forward, and because she was so eager to leave the hell that the SDF-3 had become and so focused on getting to Lisa, she missed seeing Rick run into the hangar bay.

* * *

Rick ran up to the door, not even bothering to acknowledge any of the shouts of warning from the security personnel in the hallway, and tried it. He was surprised it opened for him, but he banished the shock and ran into the hangar just in time to see the Shadow fighter taxi into take off position.

He stopped and glared at the pilot, willing her to turn and see him. When she didn't look at him, Rick's hand clenched tighter around the handle of his gun and he raised it to aim at the canopy. Just as he was about to fire the fighter blasted out of the ship and into the blackness of space.

"Admiral Hunter?"

Rick lowered his weapon, then turned towards the source of the voice to find the one man he truly wanted to see right at that moment.

Rick jammed the gun underneath the top edge of his pants on his right hip, then grabbed the man by the shoulders and said, "Chief," he pointed with his right hand towards the door that joined the secondary and main hangar bays. "Get that door open now."

The chief was an old hand and knew enough to do what Rick Hunter said, so it was without a word and with a speed that shouldn't have been possible for someone of his age that he ran to the door and pried the access panel open. Thirty seconds later, they had access to the main hangar bay. The chief ran into the hangar while the door was still opening, and by the time Rick marched through the door the chief had the nearest Alpha's engines spooling up.

Without an ounce of hesitation Rick sprinted up the ladder and jumped into the cockpit. A helmet appeared out of nowhere before him, and as he took the red and white helmet in his hands he glanced over and gave the chief an appreciative nod.

"Get as many Alphas out there as you can, Chief," said Rick as he put the helmet on. He began the pre flight startup and added, "Get them out there and have them secure a perimeter around the ship and send some to the MED moon."

Rick was just about to reach over to push the button to close the canopy, but the chief reach over and grabbed his hand. When Rick looked up the chief nodded grimly and said, "Good hunting, sir."

The chief disappeared before Rick could respond. He closed the canopy and waited for the chief to get the hangar doors open, his hand twitching to push the throttle forward and his heart beating so fast he was worried it might take off without him. He didn't know how the chief did it with no power, but the doors finally opened and Rick wasted not one more second in getting the Alpha through it, nearly shearing the tips of both wings off in his haste.

He pointed the Alpha in the direction of the MED moon and jammed the throttle forward for maximum thrust giving him the speed of three thousand, two hundred-fifty kilometers an hour.

He just hoped it would be fast enough.

* * *

Lisa walked back and forth as much as the chain attached to her leg would allow. It wasn't much, of course, but any movement was welcomed and necessary to keep her loose and to keep her from getting stiff and sore.

She turned and walked the few steps back to wall, then turned around and did the walk again, still giving thought to the layout of her bridge. She'd been very adamant when the SDF-3 had been constructed about how to lay out the stations, but since then she'd come to realize that having the comm. station where it was simply wasn't practical.

She reached down as she passed by the water bottle pile and plucked one out of the container. She opened it and took a generous gulp, then resealed the bottle and chewed her bottom lip as she visualized her bridge.

_Maybe if we move the…_

The thought vanished and Lisa braced herself against the wall with her right hand as the cave shook violently.

"What the hell?" she softly asked. She leaned as far as she could towards the entrance to the cave and listened, and after a few moments she heard a noise that she would recognize anytime and anywhere: an approaching, low and fast flying aircraft.

The plane roared towards the cave, and Lisa had to once against ride out a mini tremor caused by the plane's wake.

Lisa took a deep breath and tried to push down the anxiety that threatened to rise from her stomach as the plane touched down beyond the mouth of the cave, in Guardian mode according to the sound change of the afterburners and the soft thump.

'Oh, Admiral?'

* * *

_Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!_

Sue's lips quivered with anger and anticipation as she entered the atmosphere surrounding the MED moon. She'd chosen an insertion point near the cave, and hit the afterburners as she passed over it just to give Lisa a little shake. She laughed and brought the Shadow fighter around in a tight turn, smiling widely as the G-forces pushed and pulled on her body in exhilarating ways. She zoomed over the cave again and pushed the control button that would change her fighter into Guardian configuration.

She brought the Guardian mode Shadow fighter to a soft stop beyond the mouth of the cave, then maneuvered the craft around so that her fighter was pointing north and she could see the cave's entrance out the front of her canopy.

_She's in there,_ thought Sue bitterly. _Lisa is in there. Lisa! Lisa! Why, Rick? Why? Why is she so special?_

Sue edged the Guardian forward a few feet and then let the ship slowly descend to the ground. There was the softest of jolts as the foot thrusters of the guardian met the surface of the moon, but Sue didn't even feel it. Her attention was focused exclusively on the doorway to the prison of the woman that was responsible for Rick not loving her.

_Make her pay!_ prodded the voice in her head. Sue shook her head and then said aloud, "No…make her suffer."

She reached over and pushed a series of buttons to activate the external speakers, and after turning them up on max she sweetly sang, "Oh, Admiral?"

Sue reached over and activated the thermal sensors and nearly growled when it showed her a representation of Lisa Hayes. She was standing, and according to the color variations on the screen, she was facing the mouth of the cave.

"I know you can hear me, Admiral," said Sue, her voice almost sweet and innocent sounding. "Just thought I'd come by and let you know that I've won." A tear slipped from her right eye and rolled down her cheek. "My plan worked, Admiral," she said. She would tell Lisa exactly what she'd planned to make happen, what she'd hoped would happen and make her suffer. "Rick found out about you, Hayes, and he wanted to know where you were so badly. He said he'd do anything, Admiral…absolutely anything to have you back." Sue paused to collect her thoughts and then went on, her desire to torment Lisa giving her the strength to keep her voice from betraying the truth of the matter. "Do you know what my price was, Admiral?" Sue smiled and then said somewhat facetiously, "I bet you do. Yes, Admiral, the price was for him to make love to me." Sue leaned forward in the cockpit as though she were getting right into Lisa's face. "And he did." She sat back in the seat and sighed dreamily. "It was…it was amazing, Admiral. He was so gentle and giving. But I know we can't be together. Too much has happened and I know that I have to leave, but I will be taking a piece of him with me, Admiral." Sue waited for a few heartbeats and smiled wickedly, wishing that Lisa could see her. "You see, I've been taking a drug that keeps by body in a fertile state, knowing that this would happen." Sue's smile widened and her heart jumped when the thermal representation of Lisa Hayes shook its head in disbelief. "Oh yes, Admiral," she all but sang. She reached over and touched the control that armed her missiles. A second later she could hear the telltale clangs of the missile compartments opening. "I will have his baby," Sue used her thumb to flip the protective covering off the missile trigger that resided on top of the stick and said icily, "as surely as I'm about to blow you and your child to hell."

Sue took a deep breath and released it. "Good-bye, Admiral Hayes."

She thumbed the button and sank back into the seat as though doing so had drained her of all her remaining energy. As much as she wanted to watch the missiles fly to and hit their target, she couldn't help but close her eyes and relax knowing the source of all that had gone wrong in her love life was about to die.

* * *

Rick threw his Alpha into the atmosphere at a speed and an angle of descent that the books said were impossible and suicidal. He knew more than anyone, with the possible exceptions of Max and Miriya, what Alphas were made of and the punishment they could take. The ship would shake, and it would rattle, and it would seemingly groan in protest, but it would hold together if for no other reason than Lisa needed it to.

Moments later he was proven right as the Alpha pierced the clouds and flew into the skies of the MED moon. He'd had plenty of time on the way to the moon to think about where Sue would have hidden Lisa on this big hunk of rock, and the answer to the question was really quite obvious: the cave that he and Sue had taken refuge in during the MED. There was no other option. She had to be there.

Because if that wasn't where Sue had put Lisa, then there was no chance of him finding her in time, and that simply wasn't going to happen.

He pushed the Alpha for all it was worth, approaching the cave from the west. A minute later Sue's Shadow fighter came into view to the right, in Guardian mode and facing the cave to his left.

He was almost two kilometers out when he switched to Guardian mode, complete with pulse cannon in its right hand, knowing that a showdown of some sort was inevitable with Sue Graham. He continued towards the cave and Graham, and was about to contact Sue when he saw something that made his chest almost collapse in upon his heart: the missile compartments on the Shadow fighter's legs flip open. In the blink of an eye Rick armed his own weapons systems and acquired Sue's fighter as a target. Before he could pull the trigger on the pulse cannon, the first missiles erupted from the Shadow fighter on a clear and direct course for the cave. He shifted his focus and the target acquisition scanners from Sue's Guardian to the missiles headed for Lisa's position.

Time didn't stop for Rick, but it slowed to the point where he could almost see each and every missile flying on its deadly course. Without hesitation he pulled the trigger on the leading edge of the stick to fire round after round from the pulse cannon at the missiles, all the while speeding towards them.

"Come on!" he called out anxiously. "Come on!"

He flew into the resulting cloud of dust, smoke and debris and stopped in front of the cave. He sighed and nearly sobbed in relief when he found the mouth of the cave to be intact. While he'd gotten most of the missiles, he knew he hadn't got them all and as if someone were trying to verify that thought a rock the size of a Battloid head slammed onto the port wing after falling off the rise above him.

Rick strengthened his grip on the controls and turned the Guardian so that he was facing south and keeping himself between the woman he loved and the woman who was trying to kill her.

Rick glared into the cloud and reached over to switch configurations once again. As the Alpha began to convert from Guardian mode to Battloid mode, Rick thought it over.

_The Shadow fighter is superior in a lot of ways,_ he thought, _but it comes down to experience. She doesn't have a lot of flight time, and most of what she's got is in fighter mode. If she stays in G-mode I'll have the edge in B-mode. If she goes to B-mode then I've still got the edge. _

Finally the dust began to settle and the smoke started to clear. He could see Sue's plane and he knew she'd finally noticed him a moment later when he heard her exclaim over her external speakers, 'Rick!'

* * *

Lisa's experience had served her well once again. She'd heard the telltale whoosh of missiles launching and she'd dropped to her knees against the base of the wall and covered her head with her arms.

Once the shaking had settled and the dust falling from the ceiling of the cave had stopped, she looked over and thanked her lucky stars for sitting on the floor where she had been standing was a chunk of rock that would have most certainly killed her if she hadn't moved.

She coughed to clear her lungs of the dust she'd inhaled and then listened, but all she could hear was an eerie silence that was ultimately broken by Sue Graham yelling the name of her husband.

'Rick!'

"Rick?" she whispered softly, afraid to speak too loudly and hope too much that he was here. She used the wall to help herself up off her knees and onto shaky and unsteady legs. "Rick?" she repeated as the first tear slipped out of her left eye. Her right hand stayed against the wall to help brace herself and she was glad it did, for her knees nearly buckled a few heartbeats later when she heard his voice.

'I'm here, Lisa. I will see you soon, I promise.'

Lisa couldn't help but smile through the tears at the cockiness in his voice, something she'd heard far too often back in the old days at her station on the SDF-1 and many times since then in their married life.

There were times that she'd cursed him for that brash confidence, but even on the worst days she knew one thing for certain even as she knew it right now- he could always back up that swagger with his actions.

* * *

"Rick!"

He should have been back in that cell deep in the bowels of the SDF-3, but as impossible as it should have been she knew without a doubt that the person piloting the Battloid was Rick Hunter.

Then she heard his voice, and as pleasing a sound as it was what he was saying was anything but pleasant.

'I'm here, Lisa. I will see you soon, I promise.'

_No! No! NO! NO! __**NO! NO!**_ her mind cried as her hands tightened around the Shadow fighter's controls. She toggled the mode selector for the Shadow fighter and switched to Battloid mode as well, automatically aiming the disruptor cannon at Rick's Battloid.

Her heart was thumping in her chest and her breaths were short and rapid as though she'd just run a marathon.

'It's time to end this, Sue,' said Rick with a calm and sure voice. 'One way or another, this it is.'

Sue yanked the controls and her Battloid jumped to the right while firing its disruptor cannon. Each shot missed Rick's Battloid, as had been her intention. She smiled and laughed as the shots impacted against the hillside sending debris careening downward. She was about to fire again but Rick maneuvered his Battloid into the line of fire.

Sue hesitated, but then fired. Rick had proven that he was lost to her and Lisa was the cause of it. Lisa had to die, and if Rick wanted to try to stop her from killing Lisa, then he would have to die to. If she couldn't have him…

Two shots hit Rick's Battloid, but he'd managed to deflect the shots into near ineffectiveness using the armored shielding of the underside of the Battloid's forearms.

She cursed and had to act fast to jump out of the way to avoid his return volley of missiles. She ran her Battloid away from Rick in an easterly direction, zigging around a clump of trees and zagging around a large outcropping of rock. Several pulses from Rick's weapon zoomed past her on the left and right causing Sue to smile evilly.

_Good! _she thought excitedly. _He's following me._ She focused and turned her sprinting Battloid towards the southeast, then south, southwest and finally west in order to complete the tight circular pattern to return her to her point of origin: the cave.

She glanced to her radar as the cave came into sight and was surprised to see that there was nothing behind her. She came to a stop in front of the cave in almost exactly the same spot she'd been when she'd fired her missiles at the cave and searched her radar. Finally she found his Alpha, above her and approaching fast enough that all she could do was brace for the impact of his Battloid slamming into hers.

Sue was being jostled about so badly that she had a difficult time keeping her hands on the controls, but somehow she'd managed. She flipped Rick off of her, sending him crashing into and rolling along the ground for a hundred meters.

She got up and turned towards the cave again, raising her disruptor cannon towards the cave and preparing to fire. She managed to get off a single shot when a pulse charge knocked her cannon out of her hands and whirling away from her. She jumped back to avoid more of Rick's cannon shots and thumbed the missile trigger again, sending dozens of missiles not towards Rick, but towards the cave. She watched with rapt attention as the missiles sped away from her and towards Lisa, but her anticipation quickly soured as shot after shot from Rick's cannon obliterated her missiles before they could hit their target.

Sue growled and charged towards Rick, firing off a barrage of missiles that Rick deftly avoided by jumping and twisting and turning in the air while firing off a wave of counter measure missiles. She tackled him in midair sending them crashing to the ground. Her head jolted forward and then snapped backwards, making her see stars and for a moment make her question exactly where she was.

She shook her head and then saw Rick grab her arm just before he threw her into the hillside. Her Battloid smashed face first into the rock wall, making her see those cursed stars again and sending a coppery taste into her mouth. Her arms became rubbery and her hands slipped from the controls, relinquishing all control and allowing the Battloid to collapse lifelessly onto its back with its face pointing upwards to the sky.

Sue looked into main screen in front of her through half lidded eyes as she tried to stave off unconsciousness. She succeeded only when her eyes snapped open at the sight of a large boulder rolling down the hillside towards her. She tried to hit the afterburners to get her out of the way but by the time her wobbly hands found the throttle it was too late. The large rock slammed into the breadbasket of the Battloid causing metal, glass and wiring to collapse inward.

Sue screamed in agony as the metal tore into her body, crushing her legs and pelvic area. She clawed at the ruined screen and the surrounding cockpit with her hands in a desperate and useless attempt to escape, but she knew she was doomed.

She stopped and as her mouth filled with blood she noticed an electrical overload warning sounding in her ears. She had just enough time to cough the blood out of her mouth and whisper Rick's name before her vision exploded in a bright light and her body evaporated in a blistering heat.

* * *

Rick's mouth fell open as the Shadow fighter containing Sue Graham exploded. He remained still for a second, mourning the pleasant young woman that Sue used to be; the young woman who had impressed him with her outer and inner beauty; the young woman that he had been genuinely fond of; the young woman he had called a friend.

Rick switched his Alpha back to G-mode and lowered the nose until it touched the ground. He pressed the button to open the canopy and jumped out of the Alpha, much as he'd done all those years ago after having flown into the Grand Cannon to rescue Lisa.

He turned towards the cave and his eyes bulged open. Debris from the hillside, having been knocked loose by Sue's missiles and cannon shots, was pouring down the slope and gathering at the base of the hill.

Rick ran towards the cave, clamoring across the uneven ground without a stumble and jumped into the cave. Dust and small rocks were falling from the roof of the cave and he knew that he had to get Lisa out of there quickly.

"Lisa!"

"Rick!"

Rick ran farther into the cave and then he saw her. He stopped and soaked in the sight of her, noting the tears freely falling down her cheeks and the mile wide smile on her beautiful face.

He could have stayed there all day and just looked at her, but a particularly strong tremor and a piece of rock almost beaning him in the head reminded him that time was of the essence. He ran up to her and, after taking a moment to touch her face out of a need to verify that she was really there, he looked to her leg.

He looked back up into her eyes and said, "We need to get that off." He pulled the gun that Miriya had given him from his pants and aimed at the chain. "Ready?" he asked with a glance to her emerald eyes.

Lisa nodded and Rick wasted no time. He pulled the trigger and exhaled quickly in relief when the chain separated. He grabbed Lisa's hand and yelled, "Let's go!"

They ran hand in hand out the short tunnel and broke into the bright light of the MED day just as the mouth of the tunnel collapsed with a deafening noise and an explosion of dust and debris. They came to a stop a few feet from Rick's Alpha, both of them slightly winded but none the worse for wear.

Rick turned so that he faced his wife and noticed Lisa squinting. He dropped the gun to the ground and put his hands on her shoulders. Panic laced his voice when he asked, "Lisa?"

Lisa smiled and lifted her hands up and placed them on his cheeks. As she lovingly caressed Rick's cheeks she said, "Too bright."

Rick nodded in understanding and looked into her eyes and waited until she adjusted to the light. He tried several times to say something, but there was so much to say and he was so overwhelmed that he had to stop trying.

Finally neither he nor Lisa could hold back any longer and tears erupted from their eyes. And as had happened so many times in the past each of them knew just what the other needed.

Lisa peered into his eyes and whispered, "I'm here, Rick," just as Rick said, "I've got you, Lisa."

They shared a warm smile that ended only when Rick gently pulled Lisa towards him and pressed his lips to hers. Lisa's eyes had closed but Rick kept his eyes open as their mouths moved against each other, just to make sure that this wasn't another dream that would end in heart break. It wasn't until the tip of her tongue brushed against his lips and he felt the familiar jolt of desire it had always evoked within him, that he closed his eyes and accepted that the woman he loved was really in his arms.


End file.
